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? When the wicked advance against me to devour or slander 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. 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.
I once attended a marriage seminar that talked about men needing respect and women needing security. As a woman, I have surely felt insecure at times. We have so many concerns. Finances, husband, children, work, health issues and the list goes on. As women, we are surely seeking our knight in shining armor! Who can save us from all this trouble and distress? Only One is large enough. Only the Lord can know our innermost fears and thoughts. Not only does he know them, but he seeks to come into our present state and be our comforter. He is not threatened or dismayed with our fears. To our great joy, he does want us to always be aware that we are not alone! When we attempt to work all these concerns out in our own power we are doomed to fail. We were not built for this. We were created to be part of the Lord’s family. As his children, we can count on him to provide shelter for us. He will provide the things that we need. He will be our help in time of trouble.
Whom shall we fear if God has promised to be our light and salvation? Even as I begin to write this article, I find myself just wanting to go back to the verses above and let me sink into my heart more deeply. I long to be saturated in the entire mood, landscape and images that come to mind as I read these verses. Please read them over again!
The first part of the text, speaks of some the most intense situations that could happen to people. Enemies coming to devour and slander, an army besieging, and war breaking out against God’s people. But the Psalmist is repeating, over and over, how he will not fear, his enemies will stumble and his own heart will not fear. He is medicating his anxiety with the soothing knowledge that God is in control of his life.
The second part of the scripture teaches us to turn our eyes away from the circumstances and put our eyes back on our God. The psalmist is reminding the Lord that he is looking forward to his safe dwelling in Heaven where the Lord’s beauty will be on display and we will not be afraid. He is reminding himself that he will have a sanctuary in the day of trouble, shelter in a sacred tent and safety and security because he has been set upon a high rock.
Lord, allow us to seek your word as our medication. You have given us beautiful, even poetic, scripture to hold fast to when we are afraid. Allow these images of you as our Savior to bind to our hearts in such a powerful way that we are immunized against fear. If you, O God, are for us, whom shall we fear?
Suggested Song: Chris Tomlin, Whom Shall I Fear? (God of Angel Armies) King & Country, O God Forgive Us
