Psalm 27:1-3: The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? When evil people come to devour me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident.
Fear can sometimes be an unexpected battle, but with the shield of faith, the breastplate of righteousness, belt of truth, shoes of the gospel, and the sword of the Spirit – which is the Word of God – we can stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:10-17. Take time and imagine putting this armor on.
‘The one thing I ask of the Lord — the thing I seek most— is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in His Temple. For He will conceal me there when troubles come; He will hide me in His sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock.’ -Psalms 27:4-5 NLT
David says the Lord will conceal him, there – referring to the Lord’s temple and the Lord’s perfections in which David delighted in and meditated on. David’s place of concealment from trouble was in meditating on the Lord’s perfections, His word, and His goodness. ‘I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.’ -Psalms 27:13 NKJV
In every season, we need to meditate on the Lord and forget not all His benefits (Psalms 103:1,2) ‘Blessed is the man [whose] delight is in the law of the Lord , And in His law he meditates day and night.’ –Psalms 1:1-2 NKJV.
The good thing is we can be honest with the Lord about our fears and trouble (Psalms 142:1-2, 18:6, 120:1) ‘Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.’ -Psalms 61:1-2
We can and should pray David’s prayer: When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. As you read the Psalms and the verses quoted here, I hope this would be your prayer.
Then we must fix our eyes back to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. We must be led to that rock that is higher than us. ‘Therefore … let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.’ -Hebrews 12:1-2.
Jesus is our example on how to run this race with endurance and serve God with gentleness and lowliness of heart (Matthew 11:29). Fear brings torment, but perfect love casts out all fear and allows us to get back on track, so that we can press on toward the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (1 John 4:18-19; Philippians 3: 13,14).
But remember, this all comes from delighting in the law of the Lord, delighting in the Lord’s perfections, and meditating in His temple. Even Jesus valued that time of fellowship. ‘Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. ‘ Mark 1:35 NKJV (other references – Matthew 14:23, Luke 6:12)
PRAYER: When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I. Lord help me to fix my eyes on Jesus the author and finisher of my faith. Help me to learn from Christ, to be gentle and lowly in heart. Help me submit to You, in order to be used by You. Thank You for being my fortress, my defender, my light, and my salvation. Thank You that I have nothing to fear, because You are with me always, even to the end of the age. Thank You Lord, Amen.