Fear and Faith

Psalm 27:1–14 (ESV):  

1  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? 

2  When evildoers assail me 

to eat up my flesh, 

my adversaries and foes, 

it is they who stumble and fall. 

3  Though an army encamp against me, 

my heart shall not fear; 

though war arise against me, 

yet I will be confident. 

4  One thing have I asked of the Lord, 

that will I seek after: 

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord 

all the days of my life, 

to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord 

and to inquire in his temple. 

5  For he will hide me in his shelter 

in the day of trouble; 

he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; 

he will lift me high upon a rock. 

6  And now my head shall be lifted up 

above my enemies all around me, 

and I will offer in his tent 

sacrifices with shouts of joy; 

I will sing and make melody to the Lord. 

7  Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud; 

be gracious to me and answer me! 

8  You have said, “Seek my face.” 

My heart says to you, 

“Your face, Lord, do I seek.” 

9  Hide not your face from me. 

Turn not your servant away in anger, 

O you who have been my help. 

Cast me not off; forsake me not, 

O God of my salvation! 

10  For my father and my mother have forsaken me, 

but the Lord will take me in. 

11  Teach me your way, O Lord, 

and lead me on a level path 

because of my enemies. 

12  Give me not up to the will of my adversaries; 

for false witnesses have risen against me, 

and they breathe out violence. 

13  I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord 

in the land of the living! 

14  Wait for the Lord; 

be strong, and let your heart take courage; 

wait for the Lord! 

What scares you? 

Being persecuted, involved in war, loneliness, rejection, death, other people, God? It is natural to be afraid sometimes, there are some scary things you can come across in life. Did you know though, that you can be afraid and confident at the same time? David was. 

In this psalm David shows his confidence that God looks after those who ’seek’ Him. He is certain that in the big battles of life God is working things out. Yet David is also scared. He is afraid that God may ‘forsake’ him. Maybe he had recently messed up when he wrote this psalm and realised he’d done things his own way instead of God’s, so felt that he no longer deserves God’s divine protection. Or maybe he had become absorbed by the everyday difficulties that seem to take over and became so overwhelmed that God seemed distant. I don’t know, but we can all get like that can't we? Sure of God but less sure of ourselves or the circumstances we find ourselves in. It is natural to feel like that, David did too. He had confidence in God’s long-term plan, but felt fear in his present predicament. One of the wonderful things this shows us is that you can still trust in God and be afraid. These things are not opposites and it doesn’t mean you have lost faith or become disobedient if you get scared. You may have become; disorientated, overwhelmed, shocked, disappointed, or become stretched as you enter into a new unknown circumstance. None of these things make you a bad christian or should lead you to question if you really have faith. You have faith but are also afraid. Moses, David, Ananias, and most of humanity since the beginning of time, have suffered the same type of conundrum. Faith and fear can co-exist, and dare I say it, maybe they should co-exist. If you are not scared, are you really walking a life of faith? God often challenges and stretches His people, and they can be persecuted and suffer, it is ok to be scared about these things. Yet do not lose your confidence in God. 

This psalm reminds me of the New Testament story of the man asking Jesus for healing for his child. He tells Jesus, “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24).  Don’t you feel like that sometimes? Both David and this man recognise the truth of who God is, yet they in their humility recognise that fear and doubt creep in. I am sure that is true for you too. It is nothing to be ashamed of, you can admit it and, as both these men did, ask God for help!

The beginning of this psalm is a reminder of what you should be focussing on. Not on problems, worries or fears, but on who God is. You can have confidence in Him because he provides you with; guidance, salvation, strength, protection, support, deliverance, presence, shelter and promises (v1-6). Whatever it is you need, God can give it to you - are you looking to Him for it? 

When you pray about the things that scare you do you first remind yourself of the truth of who God is? David starts there. He remembers that God is his stronghold and salvation before he begins to 'cry' to Him. Even his 'cry' seems like worship, as David is imploring God for help, he is recalling God's salvation and goodness. Is this how you pray? Just because you may be in need in an area of your life it does not been that God has overlooked, forgotten or ignored it. You need to be pressing in as David did. Keep seeking God's face, keep praying, keep trusting, keep reminding yourself of the character of God and be open to change. Do you ask God as David did, to teach you and lead you through?

Once you have acknowledged the truth of who God is and admitted your fears, ask God to teach you and help you, then ‘wait for the Lord’. You can keep asking and keep trusting, but you also have to wait! With time, experience and understanding you will find out that when you walk your life with God there are less things to be scared of. 

‘Be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord’