January 27, 2026

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

Whom Shall We Fear?

Every year, Chapman University produces a survey on the fears of people in the United States. In the chart below, you can see the top ten fears in 2025. If you want to know more about the study you can find information here.

I was surprised that more of our phobias such as fear of heights or spiders or public speaking were not higher on this list. Yet, when I compared this list with a summary of core psychological fears, I realized that mainly we are afraid of things that threaten our existence. We are afraid of physical harm or death. We are afraid that people we love might be harmed or die. We are afraid that the quality of our life might be diminished.

When I think of these fears, I am reminded of Paul’s words in his letter to the Philippians:

²¹ For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. ²² If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me, yet I cannot say which I will choose. ²³ I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better, ²⁴ but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. (Philippians 1:21-24).

Paul is saying that whether he lives or dies, his life is in Christ. This mindset might be challenging for us to develop. However, when we can profess our faith in God like the Psalmist, we can gain a measure of the peace which comes from the assurance of God’s grace in our lives.

When God is our Light, Salvation and Stronghold, of whom or what do we need to be afraid?

Rachel Gonia