The Lord is my light and my salvation
1 The Lord is my light and my salvationâ
  whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my lifeâ
  of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked advance against me
  to devour[a] me,
it is my enemies and my foes
  who will stumble and fall.
3 Though an army besiege me,
  my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
  even then I will be confident.
4 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.
5 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.
6 Then my head will be exalted
  above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
  I will sing and make music to the Lord.
7 Hear my voice when I call, Lord;
  be merciful to me and answer me.
8 My heart says of you, âSeek his face!â
  Your face, Lord, I will seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me,
  do not turn your servant away in anger;
  you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
  God my Savior.
10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
  the Lord will receive me.
11 Teach me your way, Lord;
  lead me in a straight path
  because of my oppressors.
12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
  for false witnesses rise up against me,
  spouting malicious accusations.
13 I remain confident of this:
  I will see the goodness of the Lord
  in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord;
  be strong and take heart
  and wait for the Lord.
When I was a young child, the story goes, I used to always ask, âWhat are we going to do next?â It seems that I was always concerned with what we were going to do rather than what we were doing. The common response my grandmother always gave me was, âCan't you just be happy and enjoy what you're doing right now?â No. That was my short answer. The long answer probably would have been something along the lines of, âI want to know what is going to happen so that I can fully prepare for whatever needs or adjustments that must be made in order to make said event or activity happen.â But a five-year-old doesn't usually articulate in that manner.
One of the psalms appointed for today - Holy Saturday - is Psalm 27. The Latin title, Dominus illuminatio mea, translates to âThe Lord is my lightâ and is notably the motto for the Oxford University. The Psalmist writes of facing troubles and adversity yet remains steadfast in trusting that God will provide, protect and sustain. There is a yearning in this particular psalm that asks for - sometimes pleads for - God's presence: âOne thing have I asked, hearken to my voice, hide not your face, do not forsake me ⌠show me your way.â This is not a psalm of lamentation or a psalm of praise - this is a psalm of yearning and pleading. Yet, despite the urgency with which the psalmist calls upon God, s/he ends with these powerful words: âO tarry and await the Lord's pleasure ⌠wait patiently for the Lord.â
In a culture whose experience of waiting is measured in download speeds and standing in line for the latest iPhone or double soy latte, I'm afraid we've made prayer a when/then equation: âWhen I ask for this then it will happen.â So what happens if it doesn't happen? Is God not listening? Did we not ask the right way? Have we reduced God to the figurative genie in a bottle?
I have had my share of anxiety and wondering in my short life. As a child I lived with an emotionally abusive step-parent who led me to question my very existence from an age when a child should not have to deal with those kinds of thoughts. As an adult I have had my share of wanderings and wonderings about life, love and faith. A turning point for me happened a few years ago while I was struggling with some rather heavy stuff and I confided to a close friend that I recently asked God, âShould I doâŚ?â He said to me, âAsk God âHow do IâŚ?â and see what happens.â It turns out that, in my fervent and pleading prayers, I was praying to a genie of sorts, not to God.
God doesn't provide us with the answers and magical formulae that âgets things sorted outâ (as they might say at Oxford) so that we can move on with life. God gives us much more. As a child I wanted to know the plan (the answers) so that I could be in control. What I've come to know as an adult is that God provides us illumination - literally and figuratively - so that we see the path set before us and can know that we are not alone. Now that's something worth waiting for.