Psalm 27:1–5, 13–14 — The Lord Is My Light

Why families choose it

For mourners who need courage more than consolation. It begins with light and salvation and then admits, near the end, how close despair came: ‘I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.’ That confession is why it rings true at funerals — and the final charge, ‘wait on the LORD: be of good courage’, sends a congregation out with work to do rather than only sorrow to hold.

Reading it aloud

The two opening questions — ‘whom shall I fear? of whom shall I be afraid?’ — are not rhetorical flourishes; ask them, with a lift in the voice, and let the room supply the answer. Ease through the middle verses, then slow right down at ‘I had fainted’: it is the one fragile line, and it deserves bare honesty. The last verse is an instruction to the living — deliver it looking up, not down at the page.

In the programme, list it in the order of service as “Scripture Reading — Psalm 27:1–5, 13–14” with the reader’s name beside it. The full text is public domain and may be printed on the life-story or back page.