"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"--Psalm 27:1
What does it mean to have “No fear?” It means the elimination of general anxiousness and specific apprehensions. In Hebrew, the word for fear used in Psalm 27:1 is “ARY” which means to stand in awe of something.
In the New Testament the word for fear is “Phobia”, which is the fear of a specific thing. The person who stands in awe of another force is defeated before they begin. That’s why boxers stare down their opponents at the center of the ring to make them stand in awe of them.
Last year many of us stood in awe of the mass of problems that surrounded us. We were also haunted by specific fears about certain things that troubled us all year. As the new year begins, we are tempted to bring our old fear into the new year.
As Christians, we should sing the words of David with great joy, “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?”
Our text focuses on David as he explains the source of his strength and faith. In writing the 27th Psalm, David responds to Israel who looked to him as their light by saying that the Lord is his light. Even in old age or in the face of unknown obstacles, he still maintained that he would not be afraid. He viewed himself as a reflection of the light of God rather than being a light, just as the moon reflects the light from the Sun rather than shine on its own power.
David’s statement of faith suggested that even as the unknown approached him, he was not hesitant because the presence of God was always with him and gave him courage. It is this courage that he seemed to carry with him every day that prompted him to ask the question, “Whom shall I fear”?
David earned the right to make this declaration of faith. He probably knew more about fear than any king of Israel. Most of his life he was on the run and did not know from one year to the next whether he would live or die at the hands of King Saul. Later in his life he was threatened by his own son Absalom. Through all these situations, he learned to overcome his fears by placing his trust in God.
Trust and obey became David’s watch words. In the face of fear, trust God. In the face of doubt and confusion, obey God. He quickly learned that to trust and to obey was the secret to overcoming fear.
Brothers and sisters, this Year, Fear Will Disappear. Many people have learned how to overcome adversities by trusting completely in God. They have learned the secret to perfect peace. The Bible says in Isaiah 26:3, “Thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee”. Perfect peace does not mean that there will be no storms, but it does mean that when storms come, we are confident that the God we serve is able to keep and protect us from all harm and danger.
The idea of Psalm 27 is to focus on God rather than our fear. Focus on the fact that God can deliver. God is able! Has He brought you out of the storm into perfect peace?
Read the whole chapter of Psalms 27, in verses 27-7 you will see that David is focused on God. He is living in Him, looking at His beauty, and listening to His voice.
David can lift his head with confidence and sing with joy. In verses 7 thru 14 he again is focused on God and prays to him in the midst of his troubles and is reminded that God will never forsake him or us. Verse 14 ends the Psalm, “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait I say on the Lord”.
If we stay focused on God, this year our anxiousness will disappear. Philippians 4: 6-7 says, “Be careful about nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”.
Anxiousness is a form of fear. It is an uneasiness that we develop because we worry about the outcome of a situation. “What if?” becomes our worry. Anxiousness comes because we fear that a negative result will work against us in many ways.
A general rule of thumb for believers is, “If you are going to worry, don’t ask for God’s help. If you ask for God’s help, don’t worry”. A worry-free new year is a year that we really begin to trust God for the outcome.
The point of David’s psalm is not to expect trouble to disappear but to be confident that when trouble comes, God will make a way. He did not expect his enemies to lay down and roll over, but he was confident that God would give him the ultimate victory if he operated within God’s will.
The old warriors of our faith would look trouble in the face, then begin to say, “I’m so glad that trouble don’t last always!” Somebody else would sing, “Victory is mine! Victory is mine! Victory today is mine. I told Satan to get thee behind, Victory today is mine!”
God is our refuge, our strong place to hide in storms. In the new year, that refuge is still here. Last year God proved himself to be a refuge or place of shelter in times of storm.
The calendar has changed but God is still the same. He is the same God we served last year, and his power has not diminished because another year has passed. It may be a new year, but our refuge is still here!
As we begin a new year, believers should resolve to keep a resolution we had last year, and that is to keep trusting in the Lord! It does not matter whether it is a new year or an old year, it’s a good idea to keep trusting in the Lord. We trust in the Lord because history has shown us that those who trust in the Lord face the unknown without fear.
We trust in the Lord because saints who have trusted him have been rewarded with answered prayers, a few earthly pleasures and a heavenly home. The same hand that was nailed to an old, rugged cross - Hold to His hand!
Happy New Year, God bless and keep you.
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