Today’s Lenten word comes from Psalm 27 from the New Revised Standard Version
1The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold[a] of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evildoers assail me
to devour my flesh—
my adversaries and foes—
they shall stumble and fall.
3 Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war rise up against me,
yet I will be confident.
4 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.
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 set me high on a rock.
6 Now my head is lifted up
above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the LORD.
7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud,
be gracious to me and answer me!
8 “Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!”
Your face, LORD, do I seek.
9 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!
10 If my father and mother forsake me,
the LORD will take me up.
11 Teach me your way, O LORD,
and lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.
12 Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries,
for false witnesses have risen against me,
and they are breathing out violence.
13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the LORD;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the LORD!
When I was reading the first line, my mind started singing “And you light up my life. You gave me hope to carry on.” Yes, my mind started singing the chorus to the Whitney Houston’s song titled You Light Up My Life.
Today’s meditation word is light. It is from the Hebrew word ‘or’ meaning to be or become light. Light makes one see and become aware of one’s surroundings. To me that translate as seeing and becoming aware of the beauty of creations; God has no gender and is not male; the beauty of other belief including my ancestor’s native belief; the hurt and pain of the marginalized; the failure of Christianity including myself to love others; and the list goes on and on. Knowing and understanding these make me want to become a better follower of Jesus, a better person.
If you have time, listen to Whitney Houston’s You Light Up My Life. 🙂
