Living Without Fear

Living without Fear
Psalm 26-30
Psalm 27:1, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall if fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?”

To say that we live in a culture of fear would be an understatement. We fear the present, and we fear the future. We fear the unknown lurking in the shadows, and we fear what we see in the brightness of the day. To read the news is to be captured by fear as we read of the events of the day and the dangers that are present all around us. Fear sales and is used by advertisers to motivate us to buy their product and by politicians to influence how we vote. How do we live confidently without fear when it seems that threats surround us?

For the Psalmist, the answer to a fearless life is not found in the ability of humanity to solve its problems or to disengage from society so that evil doers no longer threaten us. What gives us confidence and freedom from the fears that envelop us is our faith in God. The Psalmist begins by affirming his confidence in God. God is the one who saves him from all his adversaries; therefore, he does not fear. God is his defender, one who comes to his aid in times of need; thus, there is nothing to dread. However, this confidence does not come because God protects him from any attack. In a surprising turn in verses 2-3a, the Psalmist describes the threats he is facing. He is surrounded by his enemies and adversaries. God does not promise us freedom from threats. Sometimes we think that trusting in God means we are free from the struggles and threats of life. If we place in God, He will keep all adversaries and adversity away.   However, the adversaries and enemies still come, and the evildoers still set up their encampments of war against us. We still face the reality of cancer and the threat it brings. We face the uncertain in a politically divided world that seems to threaten our future and our financial stability. We still face the threats of rejection. The Psalmist recognizes that adversity still comes. However, despite all this, he remains confidence. The word “confident” expresses a sense of well-being and security that results from having someone or something in whom the person can trust. The Psalmist is confident, not because of his own abilities or because there is no threat, but because he has one whom he can trust for security and protect.  

In verse 1, the Psalmist gives us the basis of his hope, and that is God Himself. He is his salvation and defense. Because of this confidence, he has one desire, and that is to seek God in the temple. In verse 4, we find the desire of David, “One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall see; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple.” The Psalmist recognizes that perspective in the midst of the uncertain of life, and the confidence we have to live without fear comes from spending time in the house of God, which is found in the worship of God with His people. The only threat he fears is not the threat of his enemies, but the threat of his own heart; that he will forsake God. Thus, he admonishes us in vs 14 to “Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.”  

Are you fearful of the world in which we live and the uncertainty of our day? Are you fearful of the threats that constantly bombard us? The answer lies in seeking God and spending time in worship with His people? It is found in the church as we gather together to meditate on the beauty of God and seek to learn His word. If the news of today makes you fearful of tomorrow, then you are obsessed with the wrong thing. Instead of being obsessed with the threats of the world, become obsessed with the pursuit of God and His word. Then you can have confidence because you see the goodness of God (vs 13).