Psalm 27

Have you ever stopped to think about how much of what we do in this life is motivated by fear? We’re afraid of a whole host of things—from having our stuff stolen to failing important tests to getting a dreaded disease. I think we’re not even aware of many of our fear-motivated decisions.

After I was first married, my husband was working for a local restaurant and had to get up in the wee hours of the morning, and I would go back to sleep after he left for work. For weeks on end during that time, I had a recurring nightmare—that an intruder was coming up the stairs and into the bedroom. That dream used to scare me so badly that I was afraid to go back to sleep after my husband left for work.

Shortly after that time in my life, my father was diagnosed with a terminal illness, and I watched as he looked death fearlessly in the face. Ever since then, I have been trying to be more aware of the fear that is lurking in my life. Sometimes I imagine what I would actually do if someone broke into my house or if I was accosted in a dark alley somewhere. Since I believe that “God knows what He’s doing” and that He ultimately has the last word on all that happens in this life, I know that I don’t have to be afraid of anything or anyone, and I hope that I would not react to an unexpected situation with panic.

If someone broke into my house, I would like to be able to nonchalantly turn to them, smile, and say, “How may I help you?” I would like to look at such a situation as a God-opportunity, not something to scream and panic about. (At the same time, I’ll be just fine if nobody ever breaks in to put my theory to the test.)

I saw in this psalm a picture of the Rock-solid confidence that I long for:

“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?… Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident… For in the day of trouble [the Lord] 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.” (vs 1, 3, 5)

Faith is the only thing that can overcome fear. In this life, the scary things are never going to go away. Until Christ comes, there will be violent crimes, diseases, and mid-terms. But when we know God, we can trust Him with the future—even when we encounter something scary. David didn’t say that knowing God banishes the scary things. He said that knowing God banishes the fear. The army will still come and besiege us, but we will not fear. The war will still break out against us, but our confidence will not be shaken.

If God is our Rock, there is never any reason to fear. Knowing the truth about His love and trusting in His plan for our lives will put fear where it belongs—in exile. It really is that simple.