The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 27:1 is not a “clickbait” caption or a slogan designed to attract attention but a very real and personal truth that made a difference in the author David’s mental state and life.
Indeed David entertained no fear or anxiety.
But not because he was arrogant or self-confident – rather because he knew God personally and made God his Light and his Salvation, the Stronghold of his life (Ps 27:1).
David invested in knowing God. He made the time and space – the necessary room in his life – to intentionally and seriously seek God in order to know Him. Time and effort spent in knowing God is the best investment you can ever make in your life, and, an investment with priceless return.
David’s firsthand knowledge of God had an undeniable impact on his mental wellbeing and state of mind. He was able to live an anxiety and fear-free life because he knew God and intentionally made Him his light and his salvation, the stronghold of his life.
David had absolute confidence in God because He got to know Him and how faithful, trustworthy, reliable and able He was.
Psalms 27:5
For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will lift me high upon a rock.
David’s wholehearted confidence in God was borne out of a personal knowledge of Him.
God is not what others, society and culture or even upbringing have told you about Him. He is who he has revealed himself to be in Jesus Christ His son. Period. If need be, you have to shed all that which society and upbringing have informed you about who God is. You will have to unlearn all that in order to know the true God as revealed through Jesus Christ, His Son.
David’s life throws up two major learning points:
I. Get to know God – invest in your knowledge of Him. David made time and space, room in his life to intentionally and seriously seek God in order to know Him.
It was his heart’s utmost desire and what he sought after the most.
Psalms 27:4
One thing have I asked of the LORD,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to inquire in his temple.
Intent and purpose are key in the pursuit of the knowledge of God. You don’t drift into or casually stumble upon the knowledge of God. You plan, intend for and diligently invest in it once you have been brought into it by God. Make diligent use of the multiple opportunities and platforms available in community with others to grow your knowledge of Him now.
II. Make Him your Light and Salvation, the stronghold of your life – David related with God on a very personal level. Over and over again we see David’s very personal relationship with God shinning through in the psalms.
Psalms 91:2
I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
We were created by God for a personal relationship with Him and David not only knew it but lived it out fully. Hence the accolade, a man after God’s heart. David was crowned by God as a man after his own heart long before his anointing and coronation – not after…
1 Samuel 13:14
“But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought out a man after his own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be prince over his people,…”
So just as you make time for and invest in relationships and friendships you rate and want to grow, so too with your relationship with God which He’s made possible through Christ at a huge cost to Him.
What do you practically need to do or change to be more intentional and consistent in your pursuit of the knowledge of God?
It’s in your hands.
grace unbound 