Monday of Holy Week
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Written by Julia Lopez
Today’s psalm serves as a reminder of the Lord’s promises. “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom should I fear?” This first verse of the psalm encompasses the profound truth of what it means to truly trust that God is who He says He is. It is a proclamation of truth; if the Lord is my “salvation”, if the Lord is my “refuge”, I truly have no reason to fear. The external circumstances of my life could be in disarray, the world could be against me and yet, “even then will I trust”.
If only it was always that simple.
Trust; it’s the word I’ve been wrestling with since the beginning of Lent. I have always struggled with control; it is the thorn in my side that I can never seem to fully remove. In college as I came to know the person of Jesus and my life was radically transformed, I began recognizing the areas of my life that I was grasping at and trying so hard to control. Little by little, the Lord began to teach me how to let go and rely on Him. However, just recently I had a moment in prayer where the Lord revealed to me the parts of my heart that I still had a strong grip on. I realized that this temptation to control had now manifested itself in different ways than before and hidden behind seemingly good and holy desires. I was forced to look deeper into my heart and ask myself, “why do I feel the need to control?” and quickly I knew the answer. I struggle to control because I don’t fully trust in God’s promises.
What a reality check!
I praise God for the grace of awareness and shedding light on my shortcomings because in knowing where I fall short, there is room to let Him in to begin the work of restoration. Sr. Faustina Maria Pia of the Sisters of Life recently wrote a book based on the Litany of Trust and in it she writes, “transformation happens as we trust that His love is deeper than anything that besets us.” God is revealed in the psalm today as a God of promises. He is our light and our salvation, He is the one in whom we can take refuge, He is with us in our trials, and He is faithful until the end. Our salvation, our restoration and our redemption come from Him. He knows we are going to fall short; we are going to doubt and struggle but He does not abandon us there. He promises to lead us, to guide us and to love us for the salvation of our souls.
And so, we journey forward, in our weakness, in our struggles, in our imperfections and we proceed with confidence knowing that He alone is our light and our salvation.
Is there an area of your life where you are failing to trust God? How is that affecting your relationships (with God or others)?
Julia Lopez is the co-founder and co-director of Still Morning, a Catholic praise and worship duo based in Oklahoma City. She is passionate about all things hospitality, community and forming others on the heart of worship. You can follow along with Still Morning on their website or Instagram, and find their music on all platforms.