Psalm 27
BE STRONG. WAIT FOR THE LORD.
David begins Psalm 27 by declaring: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” He is asking God for protection from his enemies. He praises God for the many promises God made to him. Be strong, and let your heart take courage. Wait for the Lord. Patience and strength are not always easy to come by. Some of us really have to work at these.
Fear, on the other hand, is a different matter.
September 10, 2014, will always be a significant day for me. After feeling sluggish and having heartburn continuously for months, I was sent to a cardiologist for a check-up. I failed a stress test. No big deal, right. Further testing revealed that I had a clogged artery on the outside of my heart. Still, no big deal. But it was. I needed surgery to unclog and replace the artery. Now it WAS a big deal. Open heart surgery, or more precisely, open chest surgery was what I was going to have. I didn’t panic. Why didn’t I panic? Why wasn’t I afraid of what could happen? I felt that somehow God would take care of me. I knew that I wasn’t through with this life yet and had many more things to accomplish.
Well, the surgery was successful and with the help of family and friends I made a slow and steady recovery. Three years later, I now follow a workout routine to stay healthy and strong. I am happy that God decided He wasn’t through with me yet. Fear did not overcome me.
The Lord is my light and my salvation.
–Larry McDowell