‘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’? Psalm 27 vs 1,2
Studies have shown that one of the biggest issues in the health profession today is not poor nutrition or lack of exercise - it is actually worry. We all understand the effects of a bad diet and a poor exercise routine but many of us don’t take the time to really consider the implications of a negative thought life. Why is worrying such a problem and how do we tackle it? Worry is rooted in fear. The reason that it has such a damaging effect on us is due to the fact that we were not built for fear, we were built for love. Toxic thinking damages our minds and puts a stress on our bodies that we were not designed to cope with. We were created to depend on the Lord and to expect him to take care of all of our needs. When we operate independently of him we take on pressures and burdens that we were never intended to carry and we find ourselves overwhelmed.
Love is the currency of God’s kingdom. He is love itself. He only operates in love and as we are made in his image we are made to operate in love not fear. So why is it that so many of us believers are trapped in the same debilitating thought patterns like people in the world when we are called to a life of freedom? The word tells us that, “perfect love casts out fear.” Now we know that the only one who can love perfectly is Jesus so when we know Jesus and his perfect love for us we will find that fear is driven out of our hearts. In todays’ verse we see how King David although writing this psalm before Jesus walked the earth had a relationship with his heavenly Father in which he experienced this depth of love and from which he was able to walk with assurance and peace and not allow circumstances to overwhelm his heart with fear and worry. We know from David’s life that he was a man who was familiar with danger. He spent many years in hiding, having to flee for his life from King Saul. He had many obstacles and challenges and at times wrestled with negative emotions, but David prevailed because he knew the Lord as his, “light and salvation.”
When David was confused he cried out to the Lord for answers and the Lord illuminated his mind and showed him a way out. When David was surrounded the Lord delivered him and when David was faced with a giant (literally), the Lord gave him strength. You see even though David was a skilled and experienced warrior who would have had considerable physical strength his trust was not in his own ability but in the Lord’s. He looked to the Lord to supply his needs. He relied on the Lord to deliver him and he called on the Lord for help. He repeatedly saw the Lord’s faithfulness and because of this he had confidence that there was no need to fear or be afraid. The Lord was the strength of his life.
Today our hope is in the Lord and him alone. Too often we put our trust in our wisdom, our experience, our friends, and our resources. As we read about David’s life and how he trusted in the Lord we can have confidence about our tomorrows. The word tells us that, “God is no respecter of persons.” If he delivered David from Goliath and Saul and kept his promise to make him king and establish his kingdom, then the Lord will be faithful to the promises he has spoken over your life. Choose to trust in his word and know that you can rely on his light to lead you, his hand to deliver you and his strength to make you more than a conqueror in every situation you face. As David says : ‘In this I shall be confident!” V3.
So go forward today and, “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might!” (Ephesians 6:10)
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Unshakeable Hope Series – Exchange Church Belfast 2021