"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 evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies
and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. 3. Though an army besiege
me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I
be confident. 4. One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may
dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon 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 tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock. 6. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies
who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will
sing and make music to the LORD. 7. Hear my voice when I call, O 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, O God my Savior. 10. Though my father and mother forsake me, the
LORD will receive me. 11. Teach me your way, O 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, breathing out violence. 13. I am still
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.” Psalm 27
How you can tell when it's going to be a rotten day:
You see a "60 Minutes" news team waiting in
your office.
You call Suicide Prevention and they put you on hold.
Your birthday cake collapses from the weight of the
candles.
Your twin sister forgot your birthday.
Your car horn goes off accidentally and remains stuck as
you follow a group of Hell's Angels on the freeway.
Your boss tells you not to bother to take off your coat.
The bird singing outside your window is a buzzard.
Your income tax check bounces.
You put both contact lenses in the same eye.
Your wife says, "Good morning, Mike", and your
name is George.
There are times in our lives when our world comes
crashing down on us; if anything can go wrong, it will. When life seems to be
going in a downward spiral, you’re at the end of your rope and you can’t tie a
knot to hold on - fear often takes hold of us. Fear traps us in the belief that
nothing will ever improve, that we are ensnared and will never escape. When
life gets us down, fear fills the void left by hope.
Fear is not the domain of the
timid, but swells over all of us no matter how brave we may appear to be.
Julius Caesar once remarked
that even the shouts of his enemies were music to his ears, but he was terribly
afraid of thunder. When it vaguely looked like a storm was brewing, he began to
shiver and shake. Peter the Great, considered by many to have been the greatest
czar of Russia was terrified to cross a bridge. He would tremble in his boots
whenever he stepped onto a bridge. King Louis the XV, of France, was so afraid
of death the he ordered the subject off limits in his presence. Stalin was
constantly in fear of being poisoned or killed. He had 8 bedrooms which could
be locked up like safes in a bank. Nobody ever knew in which of these bedrooms
he slept on any given night.
We fear losing our health, our wealth, our family; our friends. We fear losing
the promotion or even the job. We fear growing old, but even more, we fear
death.
On his return visit to many parts of the world,
Herbert Hoover was asked by a reporter what, in his judgment, was the prevailing
mood of the peoples in the lands he had visited. "The dominant emotion
everywhere in the world is fear. This applies to every part of human activity;
finance, industry, farmers, workers, thinkers, and government officials."
One of the things that makes the Psalms so helpful is the Psalmist is so honest and vulnerable. He shares his battles with fear as a fellow struggler not as some super-spiritual hero above the fray.
The reason that this 27th Psalm is such a favorite is because David is candid about his own fears but also confident that his faith gives him courage to overcome those fears. Fear didn't have the last word in his life and it needn't have the last word in yours.
He overcame his fears with two powerful resources - the presence of God (seeking His face) and the peace of God (standing in His grace). You have those same two resources available to you in abundance!
Having fear is not a sin. Letting fear have you is. Getting fearful is not sinful. Giving in to your fears is.