Those words are worth repeating: "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?"

Maybe we should read them again, this time out loud! "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?"

David had his enemies. He had his foes. He had those who would betray and forsake him. He had those who wanted to do him harm. Yet he could say, "Whom shall I fear? Of whom shall I be afraid?"

We have our enemies. We have our foes. We have those who have betrayed us, forsaken us, or who are about to. We have those who would do us harm. So we ask, "Whom shall I fear? Of whom shall I be afraid?"

David's response would be, "No one! If the Lord is your light and your salvation and the Lord is the stronghold of your life, then you have nothing to fear. No matter whom the enemy is, no matter what foe you come against, you have no reason to be afraid."

So, why do I fear? Why do I allow myself to get worked-up and whacked-out and worn-down? If "the Lord is my light and my salvation" and if "the Lord is the stronghold of my life," then what is keeping me from living courageously and confidently and fearlessly?

I forget. I forget the promise! "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?"

I forget that no foe has a chance against my Lord.

I forget that there is no enemy who can come close to overcoming the stronghold of the Lord.

I forget that God is strong enough, powerful enough, wise enough, loving enough, resourceful enough, and is determined to protect me from anything or anyone that may try to harm me.

God is speaking to us!

When life gets dark, I forget that He is my light. When I am in the midst of battle, I forget that He is my salvation. When I feel weak and weary and worn-down, I forget that He is my stronghold.

I forget, so I must learn to remind myself that "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 others are afraid, or discouraged, or weary, or near defeat, I must remember to remind them, "The Lord is your light and your salvation — whom shall you fear? The Lord is the stronghold of your life — of whom shall you be afraid?"

So, just in case that description fits you, I remind you, "The Lord is your light and your salvation — whom shall you fear? The Lord is the stronghold of your life — of whom shall you be afraid?"

Through His servant, David, God is speaking to us. "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?"

If I try not to forget that this week, and if I try to remind others this week, and if you will do the same, by the end of the week, maybe we will be able to say what David said at the end of the Psalm, "I am confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."

We have our message. Now, let's live it.

The Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren Takes the message of The Purpose-Driven Church and shows us how to apply it to our individual lives.

Tom Norvell is the author of "A Norvell Note." He ministers at the Hermitage Church of Christ in Hermitage, Tennessee.

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