“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1
There is a strategy, a great principle for facing the battles and conflicts of life in the 27th psalm, condensed by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones in the following words: “Always start with heaven and with God, and then come down to face the problems on earth, as you find them in the light of what you have already seen through God’s light”.
Never start with man, never begin with an earthly perspective. Many failures are the result of starting at the wrong place to find a solution.
Why do we start with God? The first thing we notice in the first few verses is the psalmist’s overwhelming confidence and assurance, not in himself, but in God. Let us consider the reasons for this unshakable certainty.
The Lord is his light. Light is the opposite of darkness and despair, and in the light, we see things clearly. When we are in the midst of trials, we grope in darkness: we have limited understanding, and we blindly grapple for human solutions. But we can look up to heaven and to God for light and understanding, for the Lord shows us another way, another kind of life, a way out of darkness. For He Himself is the light in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ who proclaimed, “I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12
The light of life. The radiance that illuminates our pathways as we live our lives on earth. What a tremendous promise and assurance!
The Lord is his salvation. When we turn to God, He guarantees our welfare, by showing us the way of escape. Through Christ, God delivers us out of the kingdom of darkness and translates us into the kingdom of light. It is a glorious transformation: despite the presence of sufferings, we are rescued out of the stronghold of tyrannical darkness, in understanding and in spirit, and we are elevated to a position of peace, strength and safety.
The Lord is the strength of his life. In spite of the formidable forces of the enemies of our life and our soul , when we look to God and rely upon Him, we have the confidence of a limitless Power behind us, Whose strength and resources are boundless.
As we look to the Lord before anything else, in whatever circumstance we are in, we ultimately acknowledge Him to be our light, our strength and our salvation. And from this principle flows the wellspring of our confidence and assurance in the face of trials, even at their very worst. Whom then shall we fear, and of whom shall we be afraid?
1 Reference: Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Sermon, “Seek My Face”
lilies, sparrows and grass 
Dee, I think we are on the same wave length. Last night what I blogged is going to fit right along side. btw, my site looks so fab because I have an “editor” a fellow blogger who I have become close to-we have so much in common and have spoken on the phone several times. she has it in her head that I should be published and is trying to make sure that I am easy to find and follow. Isn’t the Lord good? I certainly needed the help! It’s been all I could do to write!
That is a blessing, Cindy, to have an “editor” who is a fellow-blogger. I love your site. The Lord is truly good! I’ve been very busy and will be the next few days with house guests that I have not had time to write and read other blogs, but am determined to get caught up. I will definitely check out last night’s blog of yours!
Inspired work, Dee. I know there’s always going to be bad stuff out there. But here’s the crux – light will always trump darkness – every time. We can choose to be in the dark, or we can light a fire. And for those with faith, God is always the fire. ~ Love, B
Yes, Bobbie, the darkness can never quench light, and God is always the fire! Thank you so much, your comments always enhance my posts! Love, D