Psalm 27 — The Lord Is My Light

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?

One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.

For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

— Psalm 27:1, 4–5, 13–14 (KJV)

About This Prayer

Psalm 27 is David's psalm of fearless trust, prayed by a man who knew real danger and chose to fix his eyes on God instead. It opens with one of the boldest questions in Scripture — "whom shall I fear?" — and ends with one of its gentlest commands: wait on the Lord. In between is a single longing, to stay close to God's presence, which is where the psalm finds all its courage. A "pavilion" here is simply a shelter or tent: in trouble, God Himself is the hiding place.

When to Pray This

Pray Psalm 27 when fear is louder than faith — before a diagnosis, a court date, a confrontation, or any night when courage runs thin. Its closing verse is also a good companion for long waits, when nothing seems to change and you need strength to keep hoping.