Many historians believe that 1968 was one of the most turbulent years in American history. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Bobby Kennedy were assassinated. Race riots and Vietnam war protests created massive unrest. International peace was unsettled as the USSR invaded Czechoslovakia. A bestselling book by entomologist Paul Ehrlich called the Population Bomb predicted that overpopulation would lead to hundreds of millions of people starving and there was nothing we could do about it.
In the Christian world a movie called Thief in the Night came out with a frightening story about the rapture and tribulation. I didn’t sleep well for weeks because I did not want to get left behind. My parents thought the end was near.
I was 15 years old. The news was terrifying. I was a new Christian and I had virtually no discipling for what faith in God meant when confronting fears.
I didn’t know if I would get a chance to drive, vote, get married, have children, have a career, or see the Cleveland Browns win another NFL championship. By the way, all but one have worked out.
Fast forward fifty-five years (and trust me it feels that way) and the cultural climate in our country feels even worse. I have had a few years to see how God works in my life so that is a big difference. But I will be honest, it is still unsettling.
Last week I had the honor of delivering a message at my home church, Waterbrook Bible Fellowship. I spoke about Psalm 27 because I think it addresses a major issue for Christians and especially non-believers today. Where do we find hope in a seemingly hopeless world? How can we address the fears that confront us consistently?
In the Psalm David is being pursued and he believes an attack on his life is imminent. He states his hope without ignoring the danger of his current situation. Instead of downplaying his trouble he looks through a different lens. Yep. Things are a dangerous mess. Yep. I could be attacked at any moment. He starts Psalm 27 with the things he needs to remember as he confronts a deadly threat.
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?
God is my light in the darkness. God is my salvation and eternal hope. God is my strength when I am weak. Wow. Believing those truths alone will make a difference when fear rises up in my heart. But let’s be honest here. No doubt that intellectual knowledge is encouraging but how can we live out those truths when danger and fear are lurking? Let’s look at an amazing statement from the Psalmist.
3 Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then I will be confident.
Wait? What?
If war breaks out against me even then I will be confident? That is not the circumstance that gives me confidence in my journey.
How can he possibly be confident? I found it fascinating that the Hebrew word for confident translates literally to “I will trust”. David’s confidence was not in his own strength. He was trusting God and that gave him the confidence to be unafraid.
Again, that is a comforting intellectual concept. God is my light. My salvation. My strength. I trust Him. I still need a plan to implement those truths. How do you trust God when danger is all around you? David’s plan is simple and instructive for us today.
He wanted to be present with the Lord.
My natural tendency would likely be to agonize over the circumstances. Instead David chooses, and it is a choice, to make God his priority in uncertain and difficult times.
My first instinct would be to desperately pray for protection. That God would remove me from this situation. But what did David want first and foremost?
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.
He wanted, more that anything else, to be in the presence of the Lord.
Pastor John Piper wrote, “Communion with God is not merely learning about God but enjoying fellowship with God in the truth he reveals about himself.”
God wants His children to commune with Him. He wants us to learn more about who He is. He wants to hear us praise him in word, song, and service. Then we need to bring those things we learn about God’s character into fellowship with Him in honest prayer and reflection. Knowledge alone often falls short. Knowledge combined with intimate fellowship with the Lord is a game changer.
We worship the same God David did, and we can trust that same God. He is always there. We will ultimately be victorious. One thing I have learned is that victory may not look exactly like I scripted it in my mind. And sometimes I defer to noted theologian Garth Brooks who sang “I Thank God for Unanswered Prayers”. I could add multiple paragraphs telling you how many times that God saying no or not yet was an incredible blessing when I got to the see the results later.
Now more than ever that we need to place the truths of Psalm 27 in our hearts. David’s words remind us that even in the difficult times we can persevere because our God has perfect timing and the perfect plan. There is no need to panic and develop our plans to fix the problem. We can have confidence that if we turn to God for strength, knowledge, and wisdom, we will know what our part in the solutions is.
There is a famous saying that fits this Psalm of David.
Fear knocked at the door. Faith answered. No one was there.
When we trust God and seek His presence I believe that can be true. When we feel fear rising up we need to remember God is our light, our salvation, and our strength. The next time fear knocks on the door gather up those truths and have faith answer. It makes a powerful difference.
Phil Hent
Excellent blog, Dave! Faith over fear is possible, in Christ only️