This week, we are going to learn from our old friend, David, about what to do when we are afraid. Today's focus verses are here:
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?When the wicked advance against me
to devour[a] me,
it is my enemies and my foes
who will stumble and fall.
Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then I will be confident. (Psalm 27:1-3)
I guess if we look at David's past history, we might be surprised that he would say, "Yep, I get frightened some times." After all, check out his resume! He was a mighty warrior from the get-go. He was just a teenager when he faced a fearful giant, Goliath, one-on-one -- and he prevailed against the bigger man! Before that, he had faced a bear, and another time, a lion -- he had defended his father's flocks by killing those ferocious animals.
Psalm 27 might have been written before David became king; in that case, David was accompanied by a tough group of loyal fighting men. If the psalm has its roots in Absalom's rebellion, David was a king surrounded by seasoned warriors who had defeated all of the nations in the region. Either way, it would have been easy for David to sit back and rest on his laurels. He could have boasted about his own strength or in the might of his fighting men. But he doesn't do that! He begins this psalm by saying that his defense is the Lord alone. All of us are sinners; we all have the tendency to trust in our own strength, wit, ingenuity . . . well, you get the picture. Many people even believe that they can get to heaven simply on the strength of their good deeds. Some people at least nod in God's direction and admit that "the Lord helps those who help themselves."
But the real truth of the matter is this:
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Doesn't look like there's any reason for us to pat ourselves on the back! Everything (even our faith) comes from God - it is He Who is our salvation, not our good deeds, not our high morals, not even our faith. Since He has saved us, He will defend us. Paul put it this way: "If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31b)
In a time of fear, if we renounce our faith in ourselves and put our trust in Him, then we can say with David, "whom shall I fear....whom shall I dread?" In a time of fear, seek Him and affirm our faith in Him alone to save us.
The next few verses of the psalm give us more instructions in seeking God in a time of fear:
One thing I ask from the Lord,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.
For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
and set me high upon a rock.Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the Lord. (Psalm 27:4-6)
David is not just praying for a quick release from his troubles; he is praying for an ongoing, long-lasting experience with God. He wants a relationship with Him in his time of trouble -- and long afterwards! He longed to draw near to God in the tabernacle or temple and think on His beauty. Perhaps that is not something that we hear a lot in our modern world. Most of us enjoy the beauty of His creation, but do we want a deep experience with Him? Do we want to "behold" His beauty?
In that day the Lord Almighty
will be a glorious crown,
a beautiful wreath
for the remnant of his people. (Isaiah 28:5)
Your eyes will see the king in his beauty
and view a land that stretches afar. (Isaiah 33:17, NIV)
For how great is his goodness,
and how great is his beauty!
corn shall make the young men cheerful,
and new wine the maids. (Zechariah 9:17, AKJ)
We can overcome our fears if we focus on the Lord Himself. If we are captivated by His beauty, His mercy, His glory, His wisdom, and His compassion. If we can take a deep breath and make Him the one thing we seek -- to dwell in His presence and behold His beauty all of our days.
Perhaps you are reading this today and facing some real fear in your life. Not just things you worry about, but things that scare you. Does this all sound too simplistic? Like a king who is out of touch with the real world? Someone who doesn't really have all that much to worry about?
David had a hostile army encamped against him. Each of those men probably daydreamed about being the one who would come back with David's head on his spear; he'd be celebrated as a mighty warrior for killing the king. When that kind of fear knocks on your door, it doesn't always go away the first time you slam the door. We will see as we work our way further through the psalm that even David takes his eyes off the Lord and allows anxiety to grab him again. We'll see that he redirects his focus to the Lord and speaks truth, affirming his faith in God.
We must do the same. We'll find encouragement in studying the rest of the psalm.
Amen, my Sister.
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