Nothing To Fear

A Reflection on the Psalm for March 17th, 2019:
Second Sunday of Lent

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.

Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me! “Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!” Your face, Lord, do I seek. 

R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation! 

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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So many things to be afraid of. Big things and small things, real things and imaginary things. Things we are afraid of but don’t acknowledge because they’re covered in a protective sludge of self-sufficiency and barred inside walls of denial. Most of all, I think we’re afraid of pain. Who wants pain? Pain is terrible—it’s a sign that something is wrong, that something bad has happened. We tend to hate pain, and will go to great lengths to avoid it. I have denied a lot of pain in my life. I hardened my heart, and I believe I was actually taught, by society and even by those who love me, to harden my heart against pain, because life is easier to bear that way. Right?
 
That mentality has gotten me into all kinds of trouble. It is only by looking to Christ, who walked an unimaginable road of pain, both literally and figuratively, that I have found the courage to expose my wounds and I am slowly learning to allow Him, not fear, to be the stronghold of my life. By His stripes I am healed. Each wound of the evil whips He endured is symbolic of a hurt in my life; and His resurrection is proof that my life, with all its wounds, both received and inflicted, can be resurrected too.
 
This psalm penetrates my heart because God really is my light and my salvation. What does this mean? I once heard someone talk about the word ‘salvation’, relating it to a healing salve or ointment that one would apply to wounds. It was a revelation to me, and I have come to experience that the love God shines deep into my wounds, heals even deeper than a topical salve ever could. The trick is, I have to allow Him to go there. He has to get into my wounds—and wow, does that hurt.

"I have come to experience that the love God shines deep into my wounds, heals even deeper than a topical salve ever could."

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If we go back to the original plan—and in this, I think of a small, new, vulnerable baby—we see that we were indeed made in God’s image. In pure love, in beauty, and in all that is good. When I have had the courage, little by little, to examine my life experiences through the eyes of God, I can see what should have been; to allow the pain that He never wanted for me (and for others) to be exposed. When I do this, confident in His merciful power to forgive, my heart is plunged into a bath of cooling, healing salve that penetrates all its crevices and restores me to the truth of that original plan; that I am still loved, still beautiful, and still good. Despite how difficult this might be, it is most certainly nothing to fear.
 
Let us Pray:
Thank you, Lord Jesus, that Your face of love and mercy is always turned toward us, even when we can’t see it through our fear and pain. I pray that through one another, all will come to know Your faithfulness. Amen.

Lindsay Elford

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