Have No Fear

A Reflection on the Psalm for January 26th, 2020:
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Psalm 27

R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

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? 

R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple. 

R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! 

R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

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I remember the words we used to chant when I was in my teens: “Have no fear, the Lord is near.” To this day, when challenging times come, these words always come to mind.


As the first line of this psalm says, “whom shall I fear?” I shall fear no one or no thing—because my Lord is here to love and protect me. I must confess, I am not that brave. I am a work in progress. I try, but fear has a way of creeping in slowly.


In the last twelve months, three of my friends have undergone major surgeries. Two underwent hip replacements and the other had a foot amputated. They must have had feelings of fear and dread, especially in the days leading up to the surgeries. I was fearful for them, and I would pray for their courage and peace as they went through their ordeal.


When the time came, they were peaceful, they were brave, they were courageous—even when they were in much pain post surgery. The Lord honoured our prayers! All three were enveloped in prayer and our belief that the Lord would be there for them, to take care of them and to ensure everything would go well.


So we all must believe that our Lord is our light and our salvation. We will always be delivered from our trials and challenges because He loves us. All we need to do is ask! A wise man once told me, all the blessings are there for the asking. All we have to do is ask for them and God will grant them for us. I have however come to realize that it will be granted in God’s way and in His perfect time.


I am a cradle Catholic. I grew up believing that if we lead a good life, we will be happy with God in heaven. I did not question that, it was a given for me. However, my life then would not guarantee my going to heaven. I was not living an authentic Christian life. It was only when my husband and I took a course similar to Alpha, many years after we got married, that I “found” the Lord and finally understood what "being happy with God in heaven" meant. I started to have a relationship with God.


Now my life is centered on Him, and I look forward to the day that I will live in the house of the Lord. I will wait for Him. Am I afraid? Yes! But I pray for courage, and I know that because He is my light and my salvation, He will take care of me.




​Liz Venezuela

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

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