My Light and My Stronghold

“The 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?” Psalm 27:1 (NIV) We all need light in order to walk. That’s why I am thankful that the Lord is my Light, and He helps me to “see” as I walk through this life. He is also my salvation — Jesus Christ has forgiven my sins, which I am very well aware of. I am also aware of my fears, but through God’s Word, He gives me His strength to face them. I sometimes wonder what it would like to be totally by myself. I’m sure there would be a lot of fear. In my ministry I have traveled a lot, visiting northern communities where my people live. There have been times when I felt like I was surrounded by people who were against me, wanting me to leave, or even to hurt me. It may have sometimes just been my imagination but, whatever the case, I was confident of the Lord’s presence. If it wasn’t for the Lord being my Stronghold, I’m sure I would fall under the weight in hard times. But those hard times are part of life. My desire is to live for Jesus daily. In the Psalms, men wrote about being in God’s temple. That’s where I would want to be. Jesus Christ truly is my Rock in hard times. Sometimes, in troubled times, I still do cry. One of them was years ago when my wife, Laura, and I lost our adult son in a car accident. But the Lord is forever with me. He will never leave me. There are sacrifices in the Christian life, but it is only the Lord who gives true joy to my soul and spirit. Over the years, I have gained a deep desire for God’s Word. As I read God’s Word, He speaks to me. So I give Him praise. — Gilbert Bekkatla   Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org