1. Overcoming Fear, Psalm 27

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Hymns: RHC 87 I Know Whom I Have Believed, 353 God Will Take Care of You, 339 When I Fear My Faith Will Fail

 Psalm 27

 1 A Psalm of David. 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? 2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. 3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. 4 One thing have I desired 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 behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple. 5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock. 6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD. 7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me. 8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek. 9 Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation. 10 When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up. 11 Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies. 12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty. 13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

OVERCOMING FEAR

OUTLINE

  • Cultivating Faith (v1-6)
    1. Extolling Who God is! (v1)
      1. HE is my light and my salvation. (v1a) 
      2. HE is the strength of my life. (v1b)
    2. Putting mine enemies in their place in my heart (v2-3)
    3. Setting priority in the worship of God (v4)
    4. Rejoicing in His deliverance (v5-6)
      1. HE hides me (v5)
      2. HE lifts me (v6) 
  • Praying In Faith (v7-12)
    1. Cry to God for mercy (v7) 
    2. Resolve to seek God as our only help (v8-9) 
    3. Where human help fails, divine help never fails (v10) 
    4. Guidance sought (v11) 
    5. Grievance brought to the throne of grace (v12) 
  • Strengthened by Faith (v13-14)
    1. God’s goodness received by faith (v13) 
    2. Patience in trial begets overcoming strength (v14)  

 

INTRODUCTION

The psalms are a balm for the weary soul. It is so practical because they are written from experience. How the Psalmist was tried and tested and discovered how to deal with with life’s challenges successfully with God’s help. He pens for our learning, praising God for showing him the way. The psalmist is downright truthful with the state of his affairs. He bears his heart before his readers. In this psalm, the psalmist tells us his fears and how he overcame them.

The psalmist provides for us the 3 general principles, how to face fears that come in life’s pathways. He teaches the “how”. It is therefore immensely practical. The secret is that he started with his LORD. The psalmist begins his writing with the LORD and ends with the LORD as the last word. HE is the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Where does the LORD stand in your life?

The New Testament interpretation of this psalm is given in Hebrews 12:1b-2,”Let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.“

The theme is given in verse 1, the antidote against ungodly fear.

1 A Psalm of David. 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?

  • Cultivating Faith (v1-6)

Only he who can say, “The LORD is the strength of my life”, can say, “Of whom shall I be afraid?” Are we counted among the faithful? How can we be counted among the faithful? Verses 1-6 give us the answer.

It is by extolling who God is (v 1 ), putting mine enemies in their place in my heart (v 2-3 ), setting our priority in the worship of God (v 4 ) and rejoicing in His deliverance (v 5-6 ).

Faith says, “I cannot believe that he who has brought me so far is going to let me down at this point. It is impossible; it would be inconsistent with the character of God (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, 1899-1981).

Fear says, “I cannot overcome the enemy, it will overcome me, I am so afraid, just look at their might, you will surely agree with me, we are doomed!”

Dear brethren, the only sure way not to be terrorised by fear is to keep a respectful fear of God, maintaining a reverent attitude toward God. The psalmist put God first in His rightful exalted position of reverential worship.

 Andre Crouch testified, “For if I never had a problem, I would never know that God could solve them. And I would never know what faith in His Word could do.”

There are ungodly fears that imprison, paralyses, disheartens, sickens, that put hopelessness at the heart of life. How these must be brought and cast at the throne of grace (v 12 ) and put in its rightful place of not incapacitating us (v 1-3 ).

  1. Extolling Who God is! (v1)
    • The LORD is my light and my salvation. (v1a)
    • The LORD is the strength of my life. (v1b)

1 A Psalm of David. 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?

When fear grips us, we grope in our self-imposed darkness. The realisation who our God is, that He is the light that illumines life’s dark pathways, all fears are dispelled in our hearts.

He is the God of our salvation. He shows us the way out of our problems. Most importantly, He saves our soul from the everlasting destruction of hell and puts us on the pathway to heaven. This is the psalmist’s trusting heart toward his God, therefore, he is able to say – the LORD is the strength of my life.

  1. Putting mine enemies in their place in my heart (v2-3)

2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. 3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.

When fear grips and overwhelms our heart, we see our problem bigger than our God. But if God is truly God, then our problems must not be beyond God’s help! It is a logical, comforting and reassuring truth. Having a correct perspective of God in our heart will help us to put fear in its place.

When we are overcome with fear, we become weaklings. When the Philistine army challenged Israel, all Israel trembled.

1 Samuel 17:4-11 And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders. And the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam; and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him. And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us. And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together. When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.

David shared from his experience that there is help in God. He was sent by his father to bring food for his brothers at the battle front. There, he saw the grave danger of Israel, volunteered to fight Goliath.

1 Samuel 17:29-32 And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause? And he turned from him toward another, and spake after the same manner: and the people answered him again after the former manner. And when the words were heard which David spake, they rehearsed them before Saul: and he sent for him. And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.

He was undeterred, bold and confident, his courage and strength is in his LORD, who is the source of his strength.

1 Samuel 17:33-37, 45 And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee. … Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.

When we trust fully in God, He gives to us the holy courage and boldness to glorify His name. Goliath stumbled and fell. David’s heart did not fear when he saw the surrounding might of the Philistine army; he was confident in God, who is his light and salvation through every circumstance in life.

  1. Setting priority in the worship of God (v4)

4 One thing have I desired 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 behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.

The constant abiding in the LORD gave him the spiritual strength to stand up against Israel’s foes.

The hymn “Abide with me” is a prayer for God to remain present with the writer throughout life, through trials, and through death.

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide; 

The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide. 

When other helpers fail and comforts flee, 

Help of the helpless, O abide with me. 

I need thy presence every passing hour. 

What but thy grace can foil the tempter’s power? 

Who, like thyself, my guide and stay can be? 

Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me. 

  1. Rejoicing in His deliverance (v5-6)
    1. HE hides me (v5)
    2. HE lifts me (v6) 

5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock. 6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.

A pavilion provides shade and temporary shelter for the weary traveller. A rock provides a solid foundation, protection and security. Much of the Old Testament imagery has the desert as its backdrop. The sight of a rock in a barren, sun-parched wilderness lifted the spirits of the hot and weary traveller. King David was a fugitive in the desert and he worshipped God as the rock in whom he found shelter.

2 Samuel 22:1-4 And David spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul: And he said, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence. I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

God is a safe refuge, wholly secure and dependable. Is this your experience? The LORD protects the psalmist from his enemies by hiding him in “the secret of His tabernacle“, the dwelling place of God. The LORD lifts him up above the reach of his enemies.

When the Christian prays, God’s power is unleashed for his help. When we are in any problem, call to Jesus. He will protect and lift us out of our despondency. When we pray through and cast our cares to Jesus, we leave rejoicing, as did Hannah when she cast her care upon God to give her a child. God did in His mercy. Although she has not seen the answer to her prayer, God’s peace abided with her, she knew in her heart that God will undertake to solve the problem for her. Her countenance is not one of sadness but of rejoicing, 1 Samuel 1:18 And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.

  • Praying In Faith (v7-12)
    1. Cry to God for mercy (v7) 

7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.

The psalmist poured his heart to God in prayer. The affliction has been most unbearable. He was shedding tears for the discomfort it has caused him. He cried to the LORD. It is an intimate cry, son to Father. The use of “LORD”, the covenant name of the God of Israel, speaks of close personal relationship with his God whom he could confide.

  1. Resolve to seek God as our only help (v8-9) 

7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me. 8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.

He pleaded with importunity, persisting in prayer. He resolved to make right with God through repentance where he had fallen short. He asked God not to put him away and not be angry perhaps for some known sins, examining his own heart. Also, he pleaded with the LORD not to leave him with his problems but rescue him.

Notice he used the word “servant”. He is a servant to the will of His God, not his own will. It alludes perhaps also to his desire to seek after the righteousness of God which, inadvertently, he has not followed wholly. He remembered how God had been his faithful helper in the past, delivering him from many dangers. He pleaded in faith that the LORD will yet deliver him this time.

  1. Where human help fails, divine help never fails (v10) 

10 When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.

Our parents are God’s appointed guardians of us on earth. When father and mother forsake us, we become orphans, yet we are not orphans because the heavenly Father takes care of us. The LORD will help us.

  1. Guidance sought (v11) 

11 Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.

Two imperatives or entreaties – teach and lead joined by a conjunction “and” to show purpose. The first in the causative stem, that God may teach him how to be protected from the onslaughts of his enemies. The Scripture is our infallible guide, may we search it diligently for our guidance. Indeed, Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is (God), and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” [brackets added for emphasis]

  1. Grievance brought to the throne of grace (v12) 

12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.

The psalmist describes the gravity of his predicament. He felt oppressed. “Breathing out cruelty” is a description of threats of violence hurled at the psalmist. He pleaded for God to deliver him against these false witnesses. The Bible warns against telling lies – Proverbs 19:9, “A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish.” Yet, the psalmist seemed to be powerless against the many lies of the enemy, wicked in their deeds. He brought all his misgivings to the throne of grace. How good it is to cast our burdens on the LORD. It is so comforting, knowing by faith, He will surely help us.

  • Strengthened by Faith (v13-14)
    1. God’s goodness received by faith (v13) 

13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

The psalmist trusted in the goodness of God. He, therefore, will see God’s blessings upon him by faith. Trusting God requires us to put our stake with God as our only help. Then we will behold His glory.

When Abraham was asked by God to sacrifice his only son Issac at the Mount Moriah, he obeyed. His son asked him, “Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” He answered “My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering.” The literal translation “God will see to it.” He had the faith to believe that God sees his predicament and God will help him. How is God going to help him? He does not know. But he knew by faith God will help him. As James 2:21 commented, “Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?” He was not justified by works but by his works, he showed that he had faith in God.

Genesis 122:13-14 “And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt-offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.”

Jehovahjireh means “the LORD shall see” or “the LORD shall provide”. The eyes of the LORD behold the needs of His children. It shows forth a loving and caring God. Therefore the testimony of Abraham was in the mount of the LORD, His hand of providence was clearly seen.

Abraham’s blessing was declared to him directly by an angel from heaven.

Genesis 22:15-18 “And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea-shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.”

Abraham’s testimony attested to the manifestation of God’s goodness that must be rehearsed by His children to dispel all doubt and unbelief in any trials in life – “Jehovahjireh.”

  1. Patience in trial begets overcoming strength (v14) 

14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

Three imperatives in this last verse, “wait”, “he shall strengthen”, “wait”.

Paul says in Romans 5:1-5 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.“

Abraham obeyed God at every point when he was tried; he patiently waited for the LORD to provide for him a solution to his impasse. When he saw God’s intervention, it was a most enriching experience for him, it strengthened his hope in God, receiving God’s blessings.

In the matter of bringing up children, when they are sick, fear often grips our heart. Or in the distress of the workplace, when we are suddenly terminated in our job, family needs to take care of, most distressing. May we not falter but say as the psalmist testified, “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?”

CONCLUSION

May this psalm help us to overcome our fears. Trusting God is the antidote for ungodly fears. Remember to acknowledge the Giver of overcoming faith, persisting in the prayer of faith and experience being strengthened by faith. Amen.