Blog

459_My heart shall not fear

Psalm 27 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!

Charles Spurgeon once told the story of a boy groping his way through a forest late at night. In the pitch darkness, every crack of twigs underfoot, every rustle in the bushes, made his heart leap. But suddenly, he heard a familiar voice — the voice of his father calling him from a nearby house. In that moment, fear fled. The forest remained the same, but having someone he trusted nearby brought peace instead of fear. This is the power of presence.

Psalm 27 is David’s praise-filled description of his barrier to fear. It was not by pretending strength. It was the anchor of God’s unshakable presence. Like so many of his psalms, this too may have emerged from a season of trouble. Despite enemies, battles, and betrayals, this is not a psalm of despair, but of confidence and triumph.

It begins boldly: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” Darkness is often terrifying. Danger seems imminent when we can’t see what is around us. But for David, the Lord was his light. The presence of the Lord dispelled his fear and prevented him from being lost.

David had faced real and terrifying enemies, from wild beasts to unreasonable people like Saul. He knew the fear of hiding in caves, of being hunted like an animal. Yet each time he knew the joy of being delivered by the Lord.

When he offered to face Goliath, David’s confidence was not in his skill or strength. His words were, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” His challenge to Goliath said nothing of his slingshot. He said, “The Lord will give you into my hand.”

At one point everything seemed to have gone wrong. Returning to Ziklag, David and his men found it looted of their families and possessions. They were overcome with sorrow and some spoke of stoning him. Instead of slumping into despair, David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. And yet again, David recovered all. The Lord was his light and salvation.

Finally, David wrote a song recorded in 2 Samuel 22, praising God for his salvation. Here too, in Psalm 27, he declares with confidence that his enemies will stumble and fall, but he will be safe in the Lord’s stronghold.

Yet there is more to it. There is one thing for which he longs – to be in the presence of God forever. In verse 4, he says, “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.” The secret of David’s strength was very simple: he loved God and God was his one longing.

The sons of Korah echoed this in Psalm 84: “How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord.” And of course, Mary of Bethany, who sat at the Lord’s feet hearing his words, while her sister Martha was flustered with her “much serving”. The Lord told Martha in gentle correction: “One thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

Fear thrives in a cluttered heart — when we’re torn between a dozen concerns, unsure of what really matters. But when our hearts are focused on God and his will for us, we are stable, grounded in his strength. Our enemies may still rage around us, but we are not moved.

Therefore David proclaims, verse 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.” His fear turns into praise, not because the danger is gone, but because his heart is anchored in God’s presence.

Even when human relationships fail him — when even his father and mother forsake him — David is confident, “The Lord will take me in.” How powerfully he reminds us that those who walk with God are never alone. He never forgets us or abandons us.

David pleads for the Lord to lead him on a level path, to teach him His ways, and to protect him from his enemies. He wants to be guided, to walk without stumbling. He believes in the goodness of God so strongly that he is sure he will see it, not just in the next world when all injustice is set right, but here and now in this world, while he is still alive. That’s faith. It’s not blind optimism, but a deep-rooted belief that God’s goodness will break through, even in this broken world.

The psalm ends: “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” As we wait, we are not passive, but encouraging ourselves in the goodness, power, sovereignty, and wisdom of our Lord. We are reminding ourselves that nothing can thwart his purposes. Meanwhile, we persevere in doing what God wants us to do. And in so doing, we find new strength – his strength – that holds us upright without weariness or weakness. Isaiah 40 reminds us, “They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

Whenever we are afraid, let us trust in him. Let us remember how God has been your light and salvation in the past. Remember how he brought you through overwhelming moments. Let those memories be the fuel of your current faith.

Let us draw near to God and remember, not just his grace, but the way in which he answered our prayers in the past. He is more than able to deliver us from our present troubles. Let us sit at his feet and gaze on the beauty of his holiness, and learn from him the secret of doing the Father’s will, in submission and humility.

When we are fearful, let us look only to Him in prayer and eager expectation. Let your fears drive us to our knees — not in despair, but in dependence. He listens. He leads. And so praying and trusting, let us also wait with patience and with courage. For he who has promised is faithful and he will also do it.

Fear may knock at the door. But if we open it with faith, there will be nobody there. For the Lord is our light and our salvation — whom shall we fear?