Reveal | Day 13- March 8 | Psalm 27:1-9

“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? When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident. One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.” Psalms 27:1-5 NIV

I remember the exact place and time that I read this Psalm for the first time. It was fall of my senior year of college. As a new believer, I was in search not only of a new way of livin, but of a new community of faith. So, I signed up to go to a retreat on Labor Day weekend. The trouble was that school was starting in 2 weeks, and I was about $600 short of being able to pay tuition. I had no idea where I was going to get that kind of money. I was living off campus in a trailer on the edge of Tuscaloosa. Because of multiple bad decisions in my “pre-Christian” life, the electric and gas had been cut off, and I was guilt ridden by the bad choices I’d been making. I was even conflicted by the choice I’d made to attend this retreat. “Should I be working this weekend, instead of attending a retreat?”

But the retreat was only $5, so I went because, at least, they had electricity and heat and food! The event was put on by a group of “holiness” people – a few Methodists, but mostly Nazarenes. It didn’t take me long to discover that these people were “my people.” I was encouraged time and time again that weekend to “search the scripture” and to let the “Holy Spirit be my guide.” So, that’s what I did. On Saturday morning I found a quiet spot, opened my Bible, and began to read Psalm 27. I wasn’t sure why I chose this Psalm, but looking back, I realize it was the Lord’s doing. Those words were exactly what I needed to hear. Within a few days, I got the money I needed not only to pay off my school bill but also to get my utilities turned back on. More importantly, I found a home among the people called Nazarene. The rest, as they say, is history.