notesbynora

“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.” – Psalm 27:1–2

Psalm 27 is a psalm of courage and honesty. David declares that God is his light, salvation, and stronghold. Yet in the same breath, he acknowledges the presence of the “wicked” — those who oppose, threaten, or wound him.

When we hear “wicked,” we might imagine powerful enemies or obvious evil. But sometimes, the wounds come from closer to home. The “wicked” can be a co-worker who undermines you, a church member who whispers about you, or even a family member whose words cut deeper than any stranger’s. They may not be evil in how we often think, but their actions are unjust. They hurt. They confuse. They betray.

And in those moments, the cry of the heart is the same as David’s: “Lord, where is the justice? Where are You in this?”

I remember a season of my life when I had to wait eight long years for God to answer a desperate prayer. At first, I believed wholeheartedly that God would come through immediately. I thought He would arrive like a knight in shining armor, sweep in, and rescue me. But as time played out, I had to face the reality that help was on the way — just not on my timetable.

During those years, I shed many tears. Anxiety sometimes overwhelmed me. Other times, I stood firm on God’s promises. And layered in with that waiting was pain from people around me. Not strangers — but those I thought would stand by me. Some ignored my struggles. Others judged me unfairly. Words spoken in gossip or criticism felt like arrows.

Psalm 27 gave me language for those moments. David reminds us that even when others fail us, even when those we love the most let us down, God remains our stronghold. He doesn’t turn away. He doesn’t fold the file and move on to the next case. He sees. He stays.

Looking back, I can now say with confidence: God did not leave me. He stayed with me through it all. And when the answer finally came, it wasn’t in the way I wanted — it was in the way I needed. It took eight years, but He proved Himself faithful.

Psalm 27 closes with this exhortation:
“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

Waiting is not passive. It is courage in action. It’s refusing to let bitterness take root when people hurt you. It’s choosing to believe that God sees the injustice, even if He hasn’t intervened yet. It’s leaning into His presence when the waiting grows long and lonely.

David never pretended life was easy, and neither should we. But like David, we can stand firm in this: God is our light when darkness surrounds us. He is our salvation when anxiety rises. He is our stronghold when betrayal stings. And He will never abandon us, no matter how long the wait.

The “wicked” may not always look like enemies on a battlefield — sometimes they are the faces we sit beside in pews or the voices around our dinner table. But no matter who wounds us, God remains our defender. His justice may not come on our timetable, but His presence is sure. He is with us in the tears, in the waiting, and in the eventual breakthrough.

Prayer

Lord, You are my light when people misunderstand me. You are my salvation when I feel helpless against the words and actions of others. You are my stronghold when I feel abandoned or betrayed. Help me to wait on You with courage. Teach me to trust that Your justice is certain, even when it feels delayed. Remind me of the times You have come through before, and given me strength to believe You will do it again. Amen.