Psalm 27 - Don't Be Afraid. Live In Fear.
- Chad Werkhoven
- 1 hour ago
- 4 min read
You can't be free of fear. You can only direct it.
Psalm 27
Of David.
1 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?
2 When the wicked advance against me
to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes
who will stumble and fall.
3 Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then I will be confident.
4 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.
5 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.
6 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.
7 Hear my voice when I call, LORD;
be merciful to me and answer me.
8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
Your face, LORD, I will seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
God my Savior.
10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
the LORD will receive me.
11 Teach me your way, LORD;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.
12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
spouting malicious accusations.
13 I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.
Belgic Confession
Article 29
As for those who can belong to the true church,
we can recognize them by the distinguishing marks of Christians:
namely by faith,
and by their fleeing from sin and pursuing righteousness,
once they have received the one and only Savior,
Jesus Christ.
They love the true God and their neighbors,
without turning to the right or left,
and they crucify the flesh and its works.
Though great weakness remains in them,
they fight against it
by the Spirit
all the days of their lives,
appealing constantly
to the blood, suffering, death, and obedience of the Lord Jesus,
in whom they have forgiveness of their sins,
through faith in him.
Summary
Most people are completely controlled by their fear: fear of losing income, fear of breaking relationships, fear of sickness and disease, fear of the unknown. The infotainment that constantly bombards us intensifies these fears with its never ending speculations and rumors, so perhaps people seem more afraid in our day and age than ever before. But we're probably not. Don't forget that the first emotions Adam and Eve felt after the fall were angst and shame. Anxiety and dread are the ubiquitous results of sin. Even King David experienced these feelings.
But David asks two beautiful rhetorical questions at the beginning of this week's psalm that recenter God's people in a peace that passes understanding. The two questions seem quite similar, almost as if the second question is just a poetically parallel restatement of the first:
whom shall I fear?
of whom shall I be afraid?
David here is not claiming that he's not afraid because he has no fear. Quite the opposite, in fact. He's reminding himself - and us - that we need not be afraid as long as we fear the LORD, who is our light and salvation, the stronghold of our lives.
This is exactly how Moses calmed the terrified Israelites as they heard, felt and saw God's awesome presence atop Mt. Sinai, telling them to not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning (Exodus 20:20).
The fear of God isn't meant to make you frightened, but it's meant to heighten your senses and awareness because you know well the dreadful wrath He has for those who persist in their sin.
You can't free yourself of fear, but you can channel it. If you fear the things of this world, you'll forever be afraid. But if you fear the LORD, you have nothing to be afraid of.
Dig Deeper
Sometimes David's psalms seem irrelevant. He often writes of the wicked advancing against him and about his enemies, foes and oppressors. Of all the problems you have, besieging armies probably aren't at the top of the list.
But maybe they should be.
While it's true you likely won't face an actual army invasion, and the closest thing you have to a physical enemy or oppressor is the guy who cut you off in your morning commute, you need to know that you are under attack - constantly!
But this ongoing battle isn't going on around you, it's going on inside you. Paul tells us that Sarx - your old sinful nature - is waging war against you! As David puts it, Sarx is a false witness that rises up against me, spouting malicious accusations.
You won't face the Philistines or be chased down by psychotic King Saul the way David was. Yet the psalms he wrote in the midst of these difficult times are exactly the Spirit-inspired fuel you need to keep battling the sin that lies within. So as the fear of this world often sets in, wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who is my light and my salvation - the stronghold of my life;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that the LORD will teach you His way and lead you in a straight path because of your oppressor;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
