Reflections | Feast of the Transfiguration | Psalm 27 | 6 August 2026.
A hospital morning turns an earlier Psalm 27 hymn into a needed prayer for courage.
This morning, on the Feast of the Transfiguration, the appointed psalm at Morning Prayer was Psalm 27. As I prayed its familiar words from a hospital ward, I found myself unexpectedly praying another set of words—those of a hymn I wrote earlier this year based on that same psalm.
One line came back to me again and again:
“Lord of my courage,
“Lord of my light, verse 3”
keep my spirit strong.”
When I first wrote those words, they were an expression of faith inspired by the psalmist’s confidence:
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom then shall I fear?” (Psalm 27:1)
Today, they became something more personal.
There is still uncertainty surrounding the next stages of my treatment. There are conversations yet to be had, decisions yet to be made, and a path that is not entirely clear. In that place of waiting, I realised that I no longer needed simply to admire the hymn—I needed to pray it.
One of the quiet joys of writing hymns is that they sometimes return to their author at precisely the right moment. They become companions rather than compositions. They remind us of truths we ourselves need to hear.
Psalm 27 does not deny fear. Instead, it teaches us where to turn when fear appears. It points us towards the God who is our light, our refuge, our strength, and our hope.
My hymn seeks to echo that movement of trust:
Lord of the day, when troubles cloud the land,
Lord of the night, uphold me by Your hand.
Lord of the rock, my refuge and my song,
Lord of my courage, keep my spirit strong.Lord of my light, verse 3.
As the Church celebrates Christ’s Transfiguration, we remember that the dazzling glory on the mountain was given not to avoid the journey to the cross, but to strengthen the disciples for it. Glory was revealed in the midst of uncertainty.
Perhaps that is why Psalm 27 is such a fitting companion today.
The hymn is published in A Pilgrim’s Psalter of Earth and Light – Volume II: Paths & Passages, a collection of psalm-inspired hymns and poems exploring pilgrimage, movement, waiting, and the discovery of God’s presence along the way. It is not currently available online, but I hope it continues to encourage readers just as, today, it encouraged its own author.
May the Lord who is our light and our salvation keep each of us courageous, whatever path lies before us.
Further information
Lord of My Courage appears in A Pilgrim’s Psalter of Earth and Light – Volume II: Paths & Passages.
Learn more about the series here:
Leave a comment