Don't Let 'Em Scare You!

"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?" (Psalms 27:1)

There were lots of scary things in David’s life—a lion, a bear, a giant, a malevolent king, and even his own son, Absalom, just to name a few. Sometimes things can bring sudden fear to our hearts; but, for the most part, it’s people who scare or intimidate us. The verse says, "Whom shall I fear," and "Of whom shall I be afraid." Throughout this Psalm, David reminds himself (and us) why those who might strike fear to our hearts should never intimidate us. Not everyone who makes our stomachs churn are themselves to blame; sometimes the fear comes from our own feeling of inadequacy in their presence. Still, there are those who are not secure in themselves unless those around them are uncomfortably "awed" in their presence. In either case, David says, "Don't let 'em scare you."

Whether we acknowledge it or not, we as believers bring to every fearful situation adequate weapons of defense. But like any weapon, they must be utilized. The verse tells us that God furnishes two tools guaranteed to give us sufficient advantage.

The first one is light. “The Lord is my light…” The individual who fights with greater illumination is better able to evaluate people and situations more accurately, while their antagonist may still be stumbling around in the dark. The Word of God, the "light unto our path," will allow us to see our enemy (and ourselves) as they (and we) really are. In addition, the Bible shines a light on the Son of God, who walks beside us. And nothing will calm our souls like the knowledge of His abiding presence.

Second, with the strength of the Lord, we can be assured that no one can wear us down without our consent. “The Lord is the strength of my life…”  Physically, psychologically, and most important, spiritually, their strength may seem overpowering, but your Elder Brother can outdo and outlast any of them. I know there are some powerful personalities out there who feel an inordinate need to control; and, if we’re not careful, they can push us into saying or doing things we will regret. When we realize, however, that the Lord is the strength of our lives, it becomes easy to say, “Of whom shall I be afraid?”

We have all the power of Heaven on our side, so it’s not an even fight. Child of God, stop cowering in a corner. Don’t let ‘em scare you!

“The fear of man bringeth a snare…” Prov. 29:25a