One Thing I Seek (Psalm 27) | The Psalms and the Woman’s Soul

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    Some fears do not announce themselves. They rise slowly, in the heart’s quieter corners, when we are thinking ahead or looking back. We may not say we are afraid, yet we feel the tension in our breathing or the weight in our chest. There are days when safety seems fragile, and the unknown feels closer than comfort. Psalm 27 opens with confidence, yet its beauty lies in the seeking that follows.

    “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?” (Ps 27:1, NKJV). These words do not come from someone untouched by trouble. They come from someone who knows what enemies feel like—whether seen or unseen—and has learned to look to the Lord as the greater reality. Fear does not always go away quickly. Yet there is a place the psalmist returns to again and again: the presence of the Lord.

    “One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life…” (v. 4). That verse has stayed with many of us. It does not ask first for safety or relief. It longs to be near God. For women whose lives may feel filled with many concerns—children, work, silence, expectations—this prayer could become a still center. We may find that what we long for, deep underneath all our roles, is to dwell with Him.

    Psalm 27 does not ignore danger. It speaks of adversaries, false witnesses, and violence. Yet even in that pressure, the psalmist teaches his heart to wait. “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart” (v. 14). Courage is not always loud. Sometimes it comes in the waiting—when we choose to stay near, even while nothing has changed yet.

    We may not always know what to do with our fears. But Psalm 27 teaches us to take them somewhere. We are invited to gaze, to ask, to remain. And in doing so, we may begin to see that the Lord has already made room for us to be with Him. He is not far. Even in the struggle, He hides us in His pavilion (v. 5). We are not left to stand alone.