The Lord is my light and my salvation—so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? Psalm 27:1-2
She’d been waiting twelve years for this moment. But the home Ibtihal returned to in Syria had no windows, no roof, no electricity or running water. Only ruins remained.
Most of us haven’t experienced that kind of loss, but we know what it feels like when the world spins out of control. Conflict, broken relationships, people who spread lies about us. Volatility isn’t new. It’s a human problem.
An ancient king named David knew it well. In the Bible’s book of Psalms, David wrote about enemies, family members who abandoned him, and people who spread lies about his name. And yet he wrote a song that started with this: “The Lord is my light and my salvation—so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress … so why should I tremble?” (Psalm 27:1-2).
The threats were real, and David didn’t pretend otherwise. But he knew where he needed to be. He wrote, “The one thing I ask of the Lord—the thing I seek most—is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life” (Psalm 27:4). His relationship with God, at the center of everything.
Ibtihal stood in her ruined home and said, “God willing, it will be rebuilt someday. I have great faith in God that Syria will return to how it used to be; that it will be rebuilt.”[1]
Ibtihal’s confidence, like David’s, is securely anchored in God. David’s ancient song ends with this: “Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord” (Psalm 27:13-14).
When everything else is shaken, God’s presence remains the safest place to stand.
[1] USA for UNHCR, “Returning Home to Syria: Four Stories of Hope for Syrian Refugees,” March 26, 2025, https://www.unrefugees.org/news/returning-home-to-syria-four-stories-of-hope-for-syrian-refugees/.
