When I was about 4 years old, one night I had a most terrifying nightmare. It was so vivid I remember it to this day. I dreamed I saw a giraffe and our old milk cow standing in the bathroom beside my bedroom. I began to scream in fear. Awakened by my parents and my older brother, it was hard to even go back to sleep. The dream was so real to me that the next morning I was in the bathroom and saw a mark on the floor that I believed was the footprint of the giraffe. This dream caused tremendous fear in my young, impressionable mind.
Fear is one of the most powerful and paralyzing emotions we must deal with in our lives. Fear is what causes little children with immature minds to imagine monsters under their beds or giraffes in their bathroom. Then we grow up and those fears grow up with us. Those imaginary fears become fears that are real. Fears such as: violent crime, natural disasters, disease, accidents, war, loss of employment, being hurt by someone, and even uncertainty that comes with a pandemic.
One thing we must be aware of is how fear will affect our spiritual walk, because it is something that Satan will use to keep us from stepping out in faith and following the Lord. Fear is something that will attack even the strongest of believers and cause us to worry, rob us of our peace and even feel defeated in our daily walk.
In Psalm 27 we find that David is encountering this same type of fear. We are not told the event in David’s life which resulted in him penning this Psalm. We do, however, see it was a time when his enemies were pursuing him (verse 6), his family had forsaken him (verse 10) and his enemies were spreading lies about him (verse 12). In this Psalm, David shares three strategies on how to deal with fear.
Strategy One: We must declare our faith in the Lord. We find as David writes verses 1-3 he did something so unlike most people. His fear caused him to state his faith instead of his fear. He was saying, when this fear tries to attack me I will place my trust in the Lord. David says the Lord was his “Light” who shines in the darkest of times; He was his “Deliverer” who will deliver from the fiercest enemy; He was his “Strength” who provides safety and protection through the most difficult times in life; He was his “Confidence” who will not forsake His children in times of trouble.
Fears will come as we walk through this life, but we can rest in the assurance as a believer we can place our faith in the Lord who enables us to overcome our fears.
Strategy Two: We must seek the Lord through prayer. David tells us in verses 4-13 to call out to the Lord in a time of fear. He declares in verses 4-6 his desires to know the presence of God during this time of fear in his life. He cries out for God’s mercy in verse 7-9 as he asks for the Lord to answer his prayers during this time of fear. He also tells us that he regularly called out to the Lord, not just in a time of crisis. David expresses praise in verse 10 for the faithfulness of the Lord he has experienced throughout his life. He cries out for the Lord to guide him (verse 11) and give him victory over his enemies (verse 12).
David confidently confesses in verse 13 that he knows there is no situation beyond the Lord’s ability to handle and He can be completely trusted when fears arise. God, through David, gives us a clear path to follow when fear is knocking on the door of our hearts.
Strategy Three: We must wait on the Lord to meet our needs. David finishes with the most difficult part of these strategies in verse 14. He writes two times in this verse that we must “wait on the Lord.”
When we are in a fearful situation, we can call on the Lord, and then we must trust Him to take care of the situation in His time and in His way. It may not be when or how we think it should be handled, but the Lord will always take care of those fears in a way for Him to receive glory, honor and praise and what is best for us.
One anonymous writer said it this way, “We need not be afraid of anything that invades our lives. We can be strong rather than weak, courageous rather than fearful, encouraged rather than discouraged when trouble comes. God is with us and for us, and He will deliver us when His purpose has been fulfilled. Until He does, we can endure with strength, courage and hope.”
In life we may encounter many fears, but the Lord, through David, reminds us that when fears come, we have strategies to overcome them. Trust God, Seek God, and Wait on God and we can face those fears victoriously.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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