Psalm 27: “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?”
FEAR. I write it in all caps because it’s an intimidating word. An emotion wielding far too much power for children of God.
David asks in Psalm 27 “of whom shall I be afraid?” In these days of uncertainty, most of us could hand him a list. We fear COVID. We fear the crumbling of our culture and the destruction of our country. We’re afraid of the IRS, the CDC, and an alphabet of crooked politicians. And we fear the world will succeed in enticing the church to settle for an “appearance of godliness” while denying the power of Christ (2 Timothy 3:5).
We wonder if people will be able to go back to work. And whether children will return to school. Will we cheer our football teams on to victory, enjoy a live concert or embrace loved ones confined in nursing homes? We question if the chaos will ever end and if truth matters anymore. Has “normalcy” become a lost hope? These questions cause an anxious tingle in our spine.
And yet.
With typical boldness, David runs smack dab in the middle of fear. He declares he has nothing to be afraid of if the Lord is his stronghold—not an evil man, not a coalition of slanderous enemies, not a whole army arrayed against him. He’ll not fear even if his mother and father reject him or if it seems like God is hiding his face. He remains certain God’s goodness will prevail. No cowering in a tent for David! He chooses to intentionally seek the Lord and shout down fear with songs of His greatness.
And one more thing. He encourages all of us to face our fears and fight back just like he does. Fight with confidence, hold fast to the truth and refuse to doubt God’s power and love. Because the Lord is the source of our light and salvation—we have nothing to fear. Absolutely nothing.
So no matter what form of FEAR you are facing in these troubled times, I pray you let the Word of God de-capitalize it. Take up that two-edged sword and cut it down to size!