What does it mean that the Lord is the strength of my life (Psalm 27:1)?

It is very profitable to notice that the ground of the psalmist's confidence, at the commencement of the psalm, is laid in what Jehovah is, as known by the soul: "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?" (v. 1.) God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all; but the kingdom of Satan is characterised by darkness. In Colossians, therefore, after we are said to be made meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, we are described as being delivered from the power of darkness, and translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son. And if we take salvation in the Psalm in its evident sense of deliverance, we see how largely the psalmist had anticipated the truth of Christianity; for Jehovah had become his light - in a region outside of Satan's kingdom and power - and hence also his deliverance. Moreover, Jehovah was the strength of his life, and thus the One on whom he could lean in the sense of his own utter weakness, and the One on whom he could confidently count, whatever the forces arrayed against him. Well, therefore, might he cry out, Whom shall I fear? And again, Of whom shall I be afraid? So will it be with all who enter, in any measure, into what God is for us as revealed in Christ; for if God be for us, who can be against us?

The next two verses contain a fact and an anticipation, or an experience and an expressed confidence. David had been surrounded by wicked enemies; they had come upon him like wild beasts of prey, to eat up his flesh, but they stumbled and fell. Outcast as he was, and as the remnant will be whom he represents, and with all the power of the kingdom of his enemy against him, he was yet safe under the protection of his Light and his Deliverer. Again and again Saul determined to destroy David; but all his efforts were frustrated; and that without a blow being struck by David for his own preservation. The more completely the believer leaves himself in the hands of the Lord, whatever the apparent hopelessness of his situation, the more fully he will realize the Lord's succour and deliverance. And David's past experience, recalled by present faith, led him to survey fearlessly the possibilities of the future: "Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident." We cannot live upon past experiences, but faith argues that God is ever the same, and that as He has delivered, He will continue to deliver. (Compare 2 Cor. 1:10.) It is very blessed, therefore, to learn what God is for us from His past dealings, and from His interventions on our behalf.

(v. 1) The first verse presents the ground of the believer's confidence. He can say, “The Lord is my light and my salvation,” and “the Lord is the strength of my life.” He has “light” from the Lord in the midst of the prevailing darkness; he knows the Lord will, in His own time, deliver him from all his enemies; in the meantime he has the support of the Lord.

(vv. 2-3) Having thus the Lord as his “light,” “salvation,” and “strength,” the believer is confident in the presence of his enemies, whether they came as individuals attacking the soul like a beast without conscience; whether they come as “an host;” or whether the attack is prolonged, as in “war.”

The psalm begins with a joyous strain of confidence, in which all fear is dismissed as unworthy and impossible. "Jehovah is my light and my salvation: of whom shall I be afraid? Jehovah is the stronghold of my life: of whom shall I be in dread?" The argument is short and complete; all the more complete that it does not look round or take account of any special evils, but looks up, and only needs to look up, into Jehovah's face. The "light" not merely manifests what is around me: it is God Himself who is manifested in it; and thus His own character becomes the conscious security of the soul. What an assurance — what a joy and blessing the light is! Beauty, warmth, the vigor of life itself, are all found in it; and thus salvation is closely connected with this primary thought. The light of the first day meant salvation out of its ruin for that world which it disclosed yet buried under the waters; the first pulsation of its rays was the throb of a new life which had come in for it. And with God known the light apprehended is the dawn of an endless day, the power of an eternal life begun, which is but the inner process accomplishing of His salvation.

Without the light there is no discernment for the path, so that many indeed are those who walk in darkness, not knowing where they are going. But the believer knows Christ as the Light, He who gives understanding, making our way clear before us. "For the path of the just is as the shining light, that shines more and more unto the perfect day" (Prov. 4:18). He is also our salvation, delivering us from our sins by reason of His great sacrifice of Calvary, and from the many difficulties that press from every side. When we have found this to be transparently true, then what reason is there for fear of anything or anyone? Indeed, added to light and salvation is the fact that the Lord is the strength of our life, strength infinitely greater than the combined power of men and Satan. Though our own strength fails us miserably, we may say with Paul, "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13).

How blessed that the Lord Himself has become our "Light." He is not often so presented in the Old Testament. We could not have borne it unless His love had been revealed with it; hence it comes out more in the New Testament. The One who has become our Light, with the necessary exposure of all our ruin, has also become our "Salvation." When that is so, we can say, "Whom shall I fear?" All the exercise that the heart is brought into, finds its answer here; He is "the Strength of our Life," so we can be fearless before the foe. We have confidence and boldness.

(Verses 1-3). In all his difficulties and trials, the godly soul finds in the Lord his unfailing resource. The Lord is his "light", his "salvation", and his "strength".

Amidst the prevailing darkness the Lord not only gives light but He is light. The Christian can say that the Lord has trodden the path and met the contradiction of sinners and is the perfect example of the spirit in which opposition is to be met. Moreover, the Lord can deliver, and in the end will deliver from every enemy. In the meantime the Lord is our strength to support us through all the trials of life.

(Verses 5, 6). Connected with desires after the Lord there is of necessity confidence in the Lord. If the Lord is my salvation He will hide me from all my enemies. If He is my strength, He will "keep me" in safety (N.T.) firmly established upon a rock; and, in due time, will lift up my head above all my enemies for His own glory and praise.

With the Lord as his resource, the believer can say, "Of whom shall I be afraid?" We may be opposed by individual enemies, or by a host of enemies, or by "war" — prolonged opposition at every step of the journey. But the heart need not fear nor the soul lose confidence seeing we have the Lord as our light, our salvation, and our strength.

This Psalm leads us deeper. We repeat that primarily it is a rehearsal of David's experience, perhaps at the time of Absalom's rebellion. Here faith breaks through in triumph, with deep longings for the house of the Lord and for His presence, which is followed by a description of the trials through which the godly Israelites will pass in the future. He is light, salvation and the strength of life; thus faith lays hold on the Lord and in view all fear and terror must vanish. "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?" It belongs to us all. Yet greater is the shout of faith uttered on the pinnacle of our great Salvation Epistle, Romans 8--"If God be for us, who can be against us?"

The one who knows God and lives in communion with Him is like that tree. He is not distracted by circumstances, but is superior to them because God is his refuge and resource. For himself he can say, “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?” And to his brethren in Christ he can say, “Wait upon the Lord, wait, I say, on the Lord.” Such a one has a place of absolute serenity and repose, for he can boast, “In the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion: in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me.”