"The Lord is my light and the one who saves me. So why should I fear anyone? The Lord protects my life. So why should I be afraid?" (NCV)
What is God saying?
God, the all-powerful, is at work protecting His followers. And since there is nothing more powerful than God, they have nothing to fear.
What is God saying to us?
This is one of those passages that at first glance seems really encouraging, then on second glance seems to not really happen all that much. Every day thousands of God's followers die from crime, disease, accidents, and more. So where that protection that God promises? What God guarantees is protection of our eternal lives - and that is why we shouldn't fear what might happen to us on this earth, because there is something so much greater coming. Jesus makes this clear when He warns about only being afraid of what can kill the body and soul, not just the body. That is what the psalmist is talking about here too. Sure there are times when God steps in and protects our earthly lives, probably more often than we are aware, but His ultimate work is for our eternal salvation.
What is God inviting us to do?
Do you live your life crippled by fear? God invites us to trust that He is constantly working behind the scenes to protect us in this life and in the life to come!