Psalm 27:1, 4-9 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 27:1, 4-9 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1The 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?
Verse 4One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.
Verse 5For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock.
Verse 6Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
Verse 7Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me!
Verse 8"Come," my heart says, "seek his face!" Your face, Lord, do I seek.
Verse 9Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation!
Devotion
Between April and July of 1994, approximately 800,000 people were killed during the genocide in Rwanda. One of the most striking events came on April 11. As the Kigali Rwandans were seeking refuge at a Catholic school, the United Nations peacekeeping troops were ordered to pull out, leaving behind approximately 2,500 Tutsi children, women and men, who were certain to be murdered with machetes, guns and grenades.
In the final 30 minutes before the massacre began, Father Vjeko Curic, a Bosnian priest (Father Christopher in the movie, “Beyond the Gates”) gathered the people for Mass, like he had done for 30 years. As the rest of the world looked the other way, a few of God’s people reached out for the stronghold of their lives, seeking to live in the house of the Lord to the end and, even with their enemies waiting beyond the gates, holding on to each other and singing to the Lord.
Prayer
Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me! “Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!” Your face, Lord, do I seek. Do not hide your face from me. Amen.