New Light on the 27th Psalm by Rev. Teresa Stuefloten, M.Div. 9/13/2026

Good morning! This is Rev. Teresa. Today I am speaking about Psalm 27. I chose this Psalm because of it’s capacity to remove fear and heal the consciousness. I will be quoting from Dr. Joseph Murphy’s book, “Songs of God.” Joseph Murphy, D.D. Ph.D. LL.D. D.R.S. was a prominent Divine Science minister of the 1900s who drew thousands to his Sunday services and his lectures on the power of the the mind. He wrote more than 30 books and was widely admired in the New Thought community.

Dr. Joseph Murphy says of Psalm 27,

“The 27th Psalm is sometimes referred to as a psalm of transmutation. As you affirm the great truths of this Psalm, its healing, soothing, vitalizing vibration impinges upon all of the nerve centers of your body; moreover, these spiritual vibrations enter into your subconscious mind and, like spiritual penicillin, they destroy the bacteria of fear, worry, anxiety and depression.”

“This Psalm is one of the greatest antidotes to fear in the world today. I have recommended this Psalm to great numbers of people down through the years, pointing out to them that countless people have used this Psalm in emergencies and have saved their lives from shipwrecks, from fire, from death and destruction, from so-called incurable illnesses, from mountainous debts and other acute problems. The experiences of all these people have been registered indelibly in the akashic record (universal subjective mind).”

“When you use the Psalm, even though you may not completely understand the inner spiritual meaning, you nevertheless awaken and resurrect the same vibrations that others in similar conditions have experienced. In other words, you are tuning in subjectively with the marvelous and miraculous results which others have obtained. Read it slowly, quietly and reverently, knowing that you are resurrecting the Infinite Healing Presence within you, Which knows all and sees all.” (end of quote)

Now, after hearing all of that about Psalm 27, don’t you want to hear it and begin using it in your life? Don’t you want all of the wonderful results that Joseph Murphy is talking about? Doesn’t this sound like just the thing you need in your life to solve all of your difficulties?

I am going to read Psalm 27 to you slowly and reverently, as Joseph Murphy instructs us to do. Just close your eyes and take it in. No judgment on any of it. Just take it in and let it permeate your consciousness. I am reading from Lamsa’s Aramaic translation.

1 THE LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When evildoers came upon me to devour me, even my enemies and those who hate me, they together stumbled and fell.

3 Though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.

4 One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the delight of the LORD, and to be in charge of his temple.

5 For in the day of trouble he shall hide me in his shelter; in the shadow of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

6 And now shall my head be lifted up above my enemies round about me; therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises to the LORD.

7 Hear, O LORD, my voice when I call upon thee; have mercy also upon me and answer me.

8 My heart said unto thee, Let my face seek thy face.

9 Turn not away thy face from me, O LORD; trouble not thy servant in anger; thou hast been my help, O LORD; cast me not out, neither leave me, O my God and my Saviour.

10 Although my father and my mother have deserted me, the LORD has taken me up.

11 Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in thy right paths.

12 Deliver me not over into the hands of my enemies; for false witnesses are risen up against me and have spoken cruelly.

13 But I have believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

14 Trust in the LORD, and be of good courage; yea, trust in the LORD.

Holy Bible From The Ancient Eastern Texts: Aramaic Of The Peshitta by George M. Lamsa (1933)

Just keep your eyes closed and let this healing Psalm soak into your consciousness for a moment. How does that feel? Do you have a sense that you are Divinely cared for and supported? As we explore the metaphysical interpretation we will see why Dr. Murphy called it a Psalm of transmutation.

Verse 1 says, “THE LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

Dr. Murphy says of the first verse, “The Lord means the One Presence - God - the Living Spirit Almighty within you. There is only One Power, and there is nothing to oppose, challenge, or thwart the One Power. It has no antagonists and there is nothing to oppose Omnipotence.”

He goes on to say, “This verse informs you point blank that there is only One Power, and it is all Light, meaning it is Supreme Intelligence. Light means intelligence. The Bible says: I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. (Isaiah 42:8) The Psalmist is saying that Infinite Intelligence knows the answer to all things. The Light dispels the darkness. Salvation means the solution to your problems. You are saved from sickness by the realization of the healing power of God saturating your whole being. You are saved from ignorance by realizing that Infinite Intelligence, Which is the Light of the world, knows the answer to all problems.”

“You learn that thoughts are things, what you feel you attract, what you imagine you become. Ignorance dies in you when you know that every thought is creative and you are what you think all day long. Knowing this, you will make it a habit to dwell on whatsoever things are true, lovely, noble and God-like. You are saved from poverty and lack when you know that God is the source of your supply, meeting all your needs at all times, everywhere. When you claim your spiritual good, the spiritual powers in you immediately activate material good, and all the things you need to lead a full and happy life will be added to you. You are saved from poverty by recognizing God’s riches, which surround you, and by claiming your good, which was given to you from the foundation of time.” (end of quote)

The second verse of Psalm 27 speaks of evildoers, enemies, and those who hate me, but then says they “stumbled and fell.”

Many of the Psalms talk about “enemies.” On the surface it seems like David is constantly asking God to get rid of his “enemies.” But this is interpreting enemies on the literal level. Looking at enemies metaphysically, they are our error thoughts and our habits that we know are not good, and want to get rid of, but we have not yet been successful in eliminating them.

Joseph Murphy says of enemies, “The enemies are always in your own mind, created by yourself, such as fear, doubt, worry, resentment, hostility, etc. The wicked means to be bewitched with negative or destructive emotions of your own making. The phrase to eat up my flesh is an apt metaphor indicating that our thoughts of resentment, anger, hostility, etc. irritate and annoy us and rob us of vitality, energy and peace of mind. The solution is to quiet your mind and affirm slowly and quietly: ‘The healing light of God saturates my mind and heart, and God’s love fills my soul. The light of God surrounds me, enfolds me and enwraps me.’ As you affirm these truths, all negative thoughts are neutralized and destroyed.” (end of quote)

The third verse affirms “my heart shall not fear” war or those against me. Dr Murphy says, “You shall not fear, for you are aligned with the Infinite, which is all powerful and wise. There is no power to challenge it. This is why… I will fear no evil: for thou art with me…(Psalm 23:4) Your faith is placed in the Almighty Power, Which never fails.”

Verses 4 and 5 say, One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the delight of the LORD, and to be in charge of his temple. For in the day of trouble he shall hide me in his shelter; in the shadow of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

Dr. Murphy says of this, “You dwell in the house of the Lord, which is your own mind, when you walk and talk with the Infinite Presence within you. You are said to dwell there because, through frequent habitation of the mind, you dwell on the truth that God is your life and that the Spirit, or God, indwells you, loves you, and cares for you. Wherever you are, whether driving along the road, baking a cake or walking along the street, you can remind yourself frequently that God thinks, speaks, acts and talks through you. The you are in attunement with the Infinite and you also realize that you are the temple of the living God. The indescribable beauty of the Infinite animates and sustains you.”

He goes on to say, “These two verses point out that the most important thing in your life is to put God first while realizing that this Infinite Presence and Power is your guide, your counselor, your way shower, your paymaster and the source of all blessings. Knowing this you do not give power to externals, to people or to any objective event or condition, because you realize that the cause is within. You do not give power to created things. Give power to the Creator. Nothing gives you; nothing disturbs you. Everything in the world passes away but God, and God alone is sufficient.”

“You are the tabernacle of God, and you dwell in the secret place when you contemplate the love, light and glory of the Infinite which reveals to you everything you need to know at all times everywhere. When you realize that you are immersed in the Holy Omnipresence and surrounded by the sacred circle of God’s eternal love, you are on a rock. This means you are impervious to all harm, and are invulnerable and invincible. You are surrounded and encompassed by the armor of God, and your life is secure at all times everywhere. “ (end of quote)

Verse 6, “And now shall my head be lifted up above my enemies round about me; therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises to the LORD.”

Dr. Murphy says, “Sacrifice means to give up the lesser for the greater. You replace sadness with gladness, and when you begin to exalt the God Presence within you, all the powers the God Presence began to flow in your behalf. The enemies are always created in your own mind, such as fear, worry, anxiety, resentment, etc., and when the Psalmist speaks of lifting your head above the enemies, he means that you cremate the negative thoughts with the fire of Divine love. The head is symbolic of knowledge, and you being now aware of the One Presence and Power within you, all fear thoughts are expunged from your mind.” (end of quote)

Verse 7 says, “Hear, O LORD, my voice when I call upon thee; have mercy also upon me and answer me.”

Dr Murphy says, “Here the Psalmist is saying that when you call upon Infinite Intelligence, you get a response. Before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. (Isaiah 65:24) The nature of Infinite Intelligence is responsiveness.”

Verse 8 says, “My heart said unto thee, Let my face seek thy face.”

Dr Murphy informs us that, “God has no face, form or figure. God is the Living Spirit within. Face means the Truth. When I look at your face I recognize you. Recognize the Infinite Spirit within you, and know It responds to you; then you will be seeking the face of God, and you will experience the joy of answered prayer.”

Verse 9 says, “Turn not away thy face from me, O LORD; trouble not thy servant in anger; thou hast been my help, O LORD; cast me not out, neither leave me, O my God and my Saviour.”

Dr. Murphy tells us that, “God is omnipresent and is never hidden from us, as God is the very Life of us. When we are fearful and worried and try so hard to get an answer, it is as though God were hidden from us. Mental coercion and will power fail completely. It is the quiet, receptive mind that gets the answer, as prayer is effortless effort. When we are doubtful or full of fear. We block our good. God speaks in peace, not in confusion.”

I’m sure we can all identify with times of straining to get an answer to something important in our life and feeling like we are not getting the response we need. Dr. Murphy is telling us that in times like this we need to become peaceful within to hear the answer. We know that meditation brings us into a peaceful state, but at times like this we may say we cannot meditate because our mind will not quiet. This is when we can turn within and just bring attention to our breath, allowing the mind to quiet through the breath.

Verse 10 says, “Although my father and my mother have deserted me, the LORD has taken me up.”

Dr Murphy says, “The God Presence never fails and never deserts you. You are a son or daughter of the Infinite, and God is love. The will of the Infinite for you is always a greater measure of life, love, truth and beauty; in other words, the more abundant life. God is always seeking a holy receptacle that he might express himself at higher levels through you. God is boundless love, and love cannot do anything unloving.”

Verses 11 and 12 say, “Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in thy right paths. Deliver me not over into the hands of my enemies; for false witnesses are risen up against me and have spoken cruelly.”

Dr Murphy says of these verses, “Here the Psalmist prays that God will lead him to paths of pleasantness and ways of peace. The false witnesses are the fear and doubts that rise in your own mind. There is nothing to challenge Omnipotence. God is All Powerful, All Wise, the Ever Living One. When you unite with the indwelling God in your thoughts, you neutralize all negativity. All of your fear is due to lack of faith in God. Fears are cruel, always created by our own mind, and are cast out by calling on Divine love to fill your soul.” (end of quote)

Verses 13 and 14 say, “But I have believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.Trust in the LORD, and be of good courage; yea, trust in the LORD.”

Dr Murphy says, “What do you believe in? To believe is to accept something as true. The most wonderful answer you could give would be to answer as follows: ‘I believe in the goodness of God in the land of the living. My faith, trust, and complete reliance is, indeed, entirely upon the Divine Presence within, and not upon my intellect, other people or externals. My faith is in God, the only Presence and Power.’ ”

He continues, “The closing phrase in this Psalm represents a powerful and wonderful exhortation to be persistent and faithful in prayer. To ‘wait upon the Lord’ does not mean idleness or neglect, hoping God will come along and solve your problems. On the contrary, it means that you believe, know and expect a Divine solution because you turned to the Infinite Presence and Power in faith and in confidence, and you know that the solution or answer will come.

He concludes, “Waiting on the Lord means praying regularly and systematically about your difficulty or problem. It means patience and persistence. The effect of your constant reiteration of the truths of God will strengthen your heart and give you greater faith. Finally, as you continue in the realization of the Power of God operating in your behalf, the day will break and all the shadow will flee away.” (end of quote)

Would you like to put this Psalm into daily practice and see in the experiment of your own life what marvelous results you may experience in you life?

I will read Psalm 27 one more time. Close your eyes again and just take it in one more time, feeling the vibration of these words.

1 THE LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When evildoers came upon me to devour me, even my enemies and those who hate me, they together stumbled and fell.

3 Though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.

4 One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the delight of the LORD, and to be in charge of his temple.

5 For in the day of trouble he shall hide me in his shelter; in the shadow of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

6 And now shall my head be lifted up above my enemies round about me; therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises to the LORD.

7 Hear, O LORD, my voice when I call upon thee; have mercy also upon me and answer me.

8 My heart said unto thee, Let my face seek thy face.

9 Turn not away thy face from me, O LORD; trouble not thy servant in anger; thou hast been my help, O LORD; cast me not out, neither leave me, O my God and my Saviour.

10 Although my father and my mother have deserted me, the LORD has taken me up.

11 Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in thy right paths.

12 Deliver me not over into the hands of my enemies; for false witnesses are risen up against me and have spoken cruelly.

13 But I have believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

14 Trust in the LORD, and be of good courage; yea, trust in the LORD.

Breathe and allow these words to permeate your consciousness. Breathe in the healing vibration. Let it fill your body on all levels, physical, astral and causal. Just continue to breathe, allowing yourself to be filled with Divine Love and Light. You are a being of Divine Love and Light. You are blessed. You are whole, perfect and complete. You live in God. And so it is.

You may open your eyes when you are ready, feeling refreshed.

If you would like Psalm 27 in the Aramaic translation by George Lamsa, it is available free on biblehub.com.