Making Fear Disappear Psalm 27
Pastor Larry Sarver
New Life in Christ
1633 SW 34th St. Palm City, FL 34990
561-283-9426 pastorsarver@yahoo.com
www.palmcitynewlife.org
Illustration: The Pillsbury Dough Boy. Cute. Cuddly. And wanted for attempted murder. Well, not exactly ...
A woman in Arkansas was sitting in her car in a parking lot last year when she heard a loud bang and then felt a sharp pain in the back of her head. She was holding her hands behind her head when someone walked by and asked, "Are you OK?" The woman answered, "I’ve been shot in the head, and I’m holding my brains in."
Well, it wasn’t her brains. It was dough. A Pillsbury biscuit canister had exploded in the back seat, apparently from the heat, making a loud explosion and shooting the dough into the back of the woman’s head.
Sometimes our fears are like that ladies. They are unfounded and irrational but more often our fears are based on rational and well-founded reasons. Tonight we will look at Psalm 27 which deals with the subject of fear and how a focus on God can give as victory over all of our fears weather rational or irrational.
Read Psalm 27
Life can be risky and it is therefore filled with opportunities or reasons to fear or have anxiety. When I use the word fear tonight I mean all levels of fear from general apprehension and worry to dread and terror. Fear starts out when we are very young with fears of things like darkness, monsters, etc. and it continues into our teenage years with fears of things like rejection, humiliation and failure. Adulthood is also filled with possible fears such as fear of disease, death, financial problems, broken relationships, loved ones being hurt, storms, failure, aging, crime, etc. I personally know what it is like to be filled with anxiety.
Illustration: I began about a year ago to have some strange symptoms which according to the medical literature and the doctors I was seeing was most likely that was either multiple sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Neither one of these options is a very good one and Satan certainly tried to instill fear into my life at this time. I became very apprehensive and concerned about things such as my family, the church, even the opinions of others and how they would view this disease. My anxiety made it difficult to sleep at night, to think straight during the day, and to worship. It was only when I took my mind off of the problems and future I faced and put my focus on the Lord who is my God that my fears disappeared.
We are anxiety-laden society as the sales of many books on dealing anxiety and the sales of calming drugs indicate. Fear is very unpleasant and it is very harmful physically, mentally, and even spiritually for as the Bible tells us in Matthew 13:22, fear or anxiety chokes out the word of God. Fear can be very displeasing and dishonoring God if we do not respond to it with faith in him. As the Bible says we will have anxieties but we are to "cast all of our anxieties on him." We all want solutions to the fear problem. We all want answers to anxiety. We are looking for something to relieve us from our fears, something to reassure us. We’re looking for some source of security that will instill a perfect confidence and peace within our hearts.
Some people look for that security in their bank account. Some seek that reassurance in a relationship. Others placed their trust in the government, latest drug, etc. None of these are real solutions because none of them offer total security or absolute reassurance. No amount of money, success, or any position in life can truly give you peace in every situation. So the question becomes, "How can we have victory over fear?" That answer to this important question is given in Psalm 27 which says in effect "Focus on God and your fears will disappear!"
Certainly this is the main idea of Psalm 27. In verses 1-3 David expresses his confidence in God and an absence of fear in a very fearful situation because he is focused on God as his Light, Salvation, and Stronghold. In verses 4-7 we see David focused on God. He is living in his presence, looking at his beauty, and listening to his voice. Because of this focus on God and dwelling in his presence David can lift his head with confidence and sing with joy as we see in verses 5,6. In vs. 7-14 he again is focused on God and prays to him in the midst of this trouble and is reminded that God will never forsake him (vs. 10) and will always guide him (vs. 11), therefore even though he does not receive an immediate answer or relief he can still say in verse 13, "I am still confident..."
Focus On God And Your Fears Will Disappear
This is the consistent message of the Bible regarding fear. For example when Peter Walked on the water Peter’s fear got the victory only when he lost his focus on Jesus. In Isaiah 26: 3 God has said "I will keep in perfect peace all who trust in me, who thoughts are fixed on me!" We also see the same idea and Philippians 4: 6-7 which says "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. Then the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
There will be times when anxiety and fear will come into our lives it is then that we have a choice to make - we can choose to focus on the problem and be overcome with fear or we can choose to focus on God and are fear will disappear. Let us now look at this Psalm in detail and discover the particulars of David’s response to fear and hopefully we will follow his example in times of apprehension so that we can say with David in verse 14 "I will wait for the Lord and I will be strong..."
Read Verse 1
As David focus is on God he sees that he really has no reason to fear. When he and we consider and think about who God is and what he will do in our lives there is no real reason to fear. This is why David asked the rhetorical question: "Whom should I fear?" or as we would put it, "Why should I be afraid?" He says this because his focus on God has reminded him of three things concerning God that are very reassuring. First he says, "the Lord is my light..." Very often troubling and fearful times are compared to darkness because we feel lost and in need of direction or light during those times. If you’ve ever walked into this sanctuary in total darkness there will be hesitation, caution, and apprehension because you are fearful about making a wrong turn are walking into something. The same would not be true when the lights are on. It is the same way in life, there are troubling, dark times in which are fear is increased because we don’t know which way to go or what to do, we are in the dark. David’s fear disappears because he has recognized that the Lord is in his light in dark and fearful times. The Lord does not necessarily give David or us light but rather he personally becomes our light - our personal guide through the darkness safely.
Illustration: : When I was a small boy growing up in Pennsylvania we would often visit my grandparents who lived nine miles away. One night a thick fog settled over the hilly countryside before we started home. I remember being terrified, and asking if we shouldn’t be going even slower than we were. Mother said gently, "Don’t worry. Your father knows the way."
You see, Dad had walked that road when there was no gasoline during the war. He had ridden that blacktop on his bicycle to court Mother. And for years he had made those weekly trips back to visit his own parents. How often when I can’t see the road of life, and have felt that familiar panic rising in my heart I have heard the echo of my mother’s voice
"Don’t worry. Your Father knows the way." --James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited, p. 201. jun99
Focus On God And Your Fears Will Disappear
David also notes next that the Lord is his Salvation, which means that the Lord is his rescuer or deliverer. In other words David is not looking to weak people or his own self to rescue him or deliver him but rather he is looking at the Lord who is Jehovah.
Illustration: For illustrative purposes imagine that you are in New York City and three thugs surround you in a dark alley and begin to make threats and flash weapons and therefore fear fills your heart. Suddenly you see someone coming near, you are hoping for a rescuer or deliverer. When that person gets closer you do not want to see Barney Fife show up! Rather your fears will disappear and be relieved if someone like Chuck Norris shows up. Then your confidence would be restored.
In effect this is what David is saying that relieved his fears. David is reassured because it is the Mighty God, the Lord who is the I AM who is his Rescuer and Deliverer. David can be at ease because the Lord is his salvation. He is the mighty one whose stills the seas with a word and He is the one from whom sky and Earth flee.
Focus On God And Your Fears Will Disappear
At this point David asked himself a question that we should ask ourselves also: "Whom should I fear?" If the Lord is my light and my rescuer why should I be afraid? That would be irrational because who or what is greater than God? The Lord is also the "stronghold of our life..." A stronghold is a refuge, a place of safety from danger. This is a metaphor we should be able to relate to very well here in Florida with our propensity for hurricanes. All of us with commonsense seek refuge-a stronghold during these storms. The greater the intensity of the storm the stronger the refuge we desire. The stronger the refuge the less fearful we will be! If you were to go through a hurricane in a mobile home you would be fearful because your refuge is week and your stronghold is uncertain but if you were to go through a hurricane in the concrete and steel reinforced Emergency Operations Center which is our refuge of strength you would be able to have confidence and peace.
David is saying that we should have competence and peace not because there are no serious storms in our life but because we have a secure place, a sure stronghold, for the Lord is our refuge. As we look to the greatness of our God instead of looking at the greatness of our problems are anxiety will fade. It is then that we will know that we have the Lord as a Light to guide us, as a Savior to rescue us, and as a Stronghold to protect us. We have the ultimate in security and therefore we can have peace and competence in our lives.
Focus On God And Your Fears Will Disappear
Now sometimes we may feel that we are all alone and fear and anxiety may try to creep in, but in truth God is always there even when we can see him or feel him and that is reason for reassurance.
Illustration: One tribe of native Americans had a unique practice for training young braves. On the night of a boy’s thirteenth birthday, he was placed in a dense forest to spend the entire night alone. Until then he had never been away from the security of his family and tribe. But on this night he was blindfolded and taken miles away. When he took off the blindfold, he was in the middle of thick woods. By himself. All night long.
Every time a twig snapped, he probably visualized a wild animal ready to pounce. Every time an animal howled, he imagined a wolf leaping out of the darkness. Every time the wind blew, he wondered what more sinister sound it masked. No doubt it was a terrifying night for many.
After what seemed like an eternity, the first rays of sunlight entered the interior of the forest. Looking around, the boy saw flowers, trees, and the outline of the path. Then, to his utter astonishment, he beheld the figure of a man standing just a few feet away, armed with a bow and arrow. It was the boy’s father. He had been there all night long.
Citation: Leonard Sweet, SoulSalsa (Zondervan, 2000), pp. 23-24; submitted by Mike Kjergaard, Hampton, Virginia
Read Verses 2,3
As David focused on the Lord his fears diminished and his confidence grew so that he could be assured instead of anxious in every kind of situation. Now David still expects to have trouble in his life - note that he says, "when evil men..." And "when my enemies..." David’s use of the word "when" is indicative of the fact that he expects to have times of trouble in his life. God makes away for us to be free from troubled hearts but not from troubled times. David goes on to say that even if "and army beseech me my heart will not fear." David says "even then I will be confident." These verses remind us that we can have peaceful hearts in every kind of situation no matter how trying or troubling it may be. When we focus on God are fear will disappear even when "war breaks out against us."
I want your faith and confidence and my faith and confidence in God to be like David’s so that we can say in every situation, "even then" we will be not fear. If the doctor tells you tomorrow, "you have terminal cancer" even then you can be without fear. If Social Security were to fail even then you can have peaceful hearts. If we were to go through an economic depression and you were to be laid off with no job opportunities in sight even then you could have absolute assurance and peace. How can we be free from fear and have total confidence and assurance in our lives? The answer is to focus on God and our fears will disappear. This is what David did and is what David does in verses 4-6.
Read Verses 4-6
These two verses are often innocently taken out of context and used to encourage us to put God as our highest priority and greatest desire. This is certainly needful, good and a main theme of the Bible but we don’t want to miss the connection that these verses have to the subject of fear. It is David’s actions in verse 4 they give him the victory over fear and confidence in God in verses 5,6. In fact the word "for" at the beginning of verse 5 makes a clear connection to the message of verse 4. What is the message of verse 4? That God was David’s all-in-all. The message is that David focused on God with every part of his life and it was this focus that enabled him to live with great faith and confidence.
David’s focus on God is easy to see in verse 4. He had made God the very thing that he sought over all others. As he said "one thing that I ask - this is what I seek..." Now that it is single-minded focus on God. First David desired to "dwell in the house of the Lord" which is a metaphor for living in God’s presence and staying close to God. Most people in David’s day visited the temple but David wanted to live there as he said "all the days of his life." His life was continually focused on God and therefore he knew God intimately and that gave him confidence in every situation. He did not just want to think about our focus on God on Sundays, Wednesdays, holidays or when trouble came. No! He focused on God and drew close to Him continually.
Not only did he live in God’s presence but he also looked at God’s perfection. As he says in verse 4 his desire was to "gaze upon the beauty (perfect attributes) of the Lord." As a looked or better put focused on God’s attributes his fears were relieved because he saw God faithfulness, power, love, etc.. He also focused on God by listening to his voice and his counsel rather than the voice of his fears or that of naysayers. He says that he would "seek Him in his temple." The word "seek" means to inquire or petition. In other words David is listening to God. He is taking his troubles to Him and seeking his counsel and therefore as he focuses on God his fears disappear.
When we, like David, live with God, look to God, and listen to God we will come to know Him intimately and during times of fear we will be able to express the same faith that David did in verses 5,6 where he says "... In the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord."
Focus On God And Your Fears Will Disappear
Read Verses 7-12
These verses contain the heart of David’s prayer as he sought God during the time of trouble and the Lord reassured him. Since much of these verses is self-explanatory and for the sake of time I will only cover them briefly. David acknowledges in this prayer that he needs God. He in effect is saying that he cannot handle life by himself and so he turned to God and he asked for God’s intervention and his compassion in verse 7 and he seeks God’s guidance and protection in verse 11.
God desires to see this child-like dependence on him, when we finally come to Him and say with all of our hearts "I need you!" Too often we miss God reassurance and continue in fear because instead of going to God sincerely we keep trying to handle things on our own and our anxiety level only increases. When one of my little children is frightened they will usually run to me, jump into my arms, and hold on tightly and there they are comforted. This is what we need to do when we fill overwhelmed. We need to jump into our Father’s arms.
David can be confident in coming to God with its problems because it is God who has told him to come as he notes in verse 8. God wants us to turn to Him. He waits to comfort us and reassure us. We are his children and he will never turn us away. Sometimes we may fill that God wants nothing to do with us and that we should not bring our problems to Him because we have not been ideal perfect children. It appears that David may have felt this way as he expressed in verse 9 where he said "do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger... Do not reject me or forsake me..." But in verse 10 as he focused on God his heart was reassured that God has not and will never reject him no matter what! God love and commitment to David and to us is greater than even than that of a parent to their child. We’ve all seen how committed parents can be to standing by and comforting even their adult children even if that child happens to be a serial killer! God’s commitment to us and desire to comfort us is even greater.
Read Verses 13, 14
Conclusion: As David focused on God his fears disappeared so that his heart was confident that he would see "the goodness of the Lord" even though he had not yet received the answer he’d longed for. So he counsels himself and he counsels us verse 14 to "wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart..." David like us had many reasons to have anxiety and fear in his life but he had one greater reason to have peace. As we like David focused on the Lord and remember that he is our Light, our Salvation, and our Stronghold we can have victory over fear. As we make God our top priority and seek Him with all our hearts like David did in verse 4 we will be assured instead of anxious. We simply need to get our thoughts on God and turn to Him and prayer and remember that he will never turn away from us but has promised that as we wait for him we will see his goodness.
How can you have victory over fear in your lives?
Focus On God And Your Fears Will Disappear
