A Fearful Situation

[Psalm 27:1–6]

Are any of you currently facing a fearful situation? If so, why are you afraid? The reason we are often afraid seems to be that fear arises in our hearts due to worry, anxiety, and uneasiness. When I think of “fear,” Isaiah 41:10 comes to mind: “Do not fear, for I am with you…” I also think of 1 John 4:18: “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” The Bible clearly says that there is no fear in love—so then why do we fear? The reason is that we lack perfect love.

According to “A Letter for the Leadership Development of Christian Businessmen” (Issue No. 64), the latent, unconscious fears within us can devastate our lives in four major ways:

1. Fear paralyzes your potential. It binds you so that you hesitate and are unable to properly use the gifts God has given you. In the end, it prevents you from using them for God's glory—just like the servant in the parable who received one talent.

2. Fear destroys your relationships. Fear keeps us from being honest with others. Out of fear of rejection, we wear masks and pretend to be someone we're not, denying our true emotions. Fear never allows us to love fully and genuinely.

3. Fear hinders our happiness. Fear and happiness cannot coexist at the same time.

4. Fear obstructs our success. We often focus more on what we fear might happen than on what we hope will happen, and as a result, we prepare for failure. Fear brings about the very thing we fear (source: Internet).

So how can we overcome fear that devastates our lives? In today’s passage, Psalm 27:1–6, we can see that David found himself in a fearful situation. As we look at how he responded, let us draw three lessons from his example and apply them to our own lives.

First, David remained confident (bold) even in the midst of a fearful situation.

Look at Psalm 27:3:
"Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident."
How was David able to be confident in such a fearful situation? It was because he fixed his eyes on God. In the midst of fear, David quietly looked to the Lord, who is “my light, my salvation, and the strength of my life.”

(1) The first way we can remain confident in fearful situations is by looking to God—who is our light, our Savior, and the strength of our life.

David’s situation was truly dark. His enemies, the evildoers, came against him “to devour his flesh” (vv. 2–3), and “an army encamped against him” (v. 3). David was in “the day of trouble” (v. 5).
Yet in the midst of this darkness, David looked to God and acknowledged God for who He is. Therefore, he was not afraid but instead could be bold and confident.

Being courageous like David in the face of fear is not easy. Why? Because when we are personally confronted with fearful circumstances, it’s only natural for us to feel afraid. Not only do we feel fear, but we also worry, become anxious, and grow restless. That is human weakness.

Even the apostles in the Bible were afraid when the stormy waves crashed against their boat—even though Jesus was with them, sleeping inside. So how can we not be afraid when the waves and storms of sin and life crash over us?

And yet, sometimes we don’t even admit that we’re afraid. Instead, we pretend to be calm. But rather than pretending, it is far better to honestly admit the fear in our hearts. In doing so, we should come before God and remain still in His presence. We must look to God, who is our light.

The term “light” here implies the power to drive away darkness automatically. In this context, “darkness” for David represents his enemies. He refers to his enemies—especially the army that rises against him in battle—as “darkness.”

David was confident that God, who is light, would drive out all this darkness. The darker the situation, the brighter the light shines. And in the same way, the more fearful our situation, the more we must fix our eyes on God, who is light, so that we may experience His power that drives out darkness.

David also looked to God as his salvation—his victory and deliverance. He trusted in God’s power to grant him victory no matter what circumstances he faced.
David looked to God as the strength of his life—his refuge and his stronghold. In other words, David was convinced that God would protect him even in the midst of warfare.

In the same way, no matter how dark our situation may be, we must look to God, who is light. The darker our surroundings, the more brightly the light of God’s salvation will shine.
The more fearful the moment, the more we must rely on the saving power of God.

And when we do that—when we look to Him—the power of the One who gives us victory in all circumstances will rule over our hearts, our minds, our emotions, and our entire being.

Then we will not fear but instead be confident. In other words, we will stand firm in the assurance of salvation.

(2) In order to be bold in the midst of fearful situations, we must remember past experiences of victory (salvation).

In the dark situation David was facing, he looked back and remembered how God had made his enemies stumble and fall (verse 2). That’s why he was able to remain bold even in a fearful situation.
Before we allow our thoughts to be consumed by the dark and uncertain future, we need to reflect on the grace of salvation that God has already poured out in the past. Through this remembrance, we can gain confidence in the salvation (victory) of the Lord, who is our light, even in the midst of our present darkness.

(3) To remain bold and not fearful in the face of darkness, we must entrust our future to God.

In other words, we must look to the future with complete trust in God.
David made a confession of faith that even if a war were to break out and armies encamped against him, seeking to take his life, he would not be afraid (verse 3).
The reason he was able to make such a confession is because he fully trusted in God—his light, his salvation, and the strength of his life.

We, too, must be bold like David in the face of fearful situations.
I hold one firm conviction, found in Philippians 1:6:
"He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
I am also confident in the Lord’s promise to His church:
"… I will build My church …" (Matthew 16:18).
I fully trust that our faithful Lord will fulfill this promise.

No matter what fearful circumstances we face, I desire to be led by the promises of the Lord’s Word, not to fear, but to stand boldly and firmly—participating in the Lord’s ministry to build up His church, which is His body.

Secondly, David sought the Lord in the midst of his fearful situation.

Look at Psalm 27:4:
"One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple."

In his time of fear, David asked God for one thing.
His one prayer request was to dwell in the house of the Lord and to gaze upon His beauty.

Why did David long for the house of God in the midst of a fearful situation?

(1) Because when we look upon the face of our Heavenly Father, fear in our hearts disappears, and peace is given to us.

Even in fearful circumstances, David meditated on the beauty of the Lord all the days of his life.
Those who meditate on the beauty of God’s grace-filled revelation experience peace in their hearts, even in the midst of fearful situations.

(2) David longed to dwell in the house of the Lord and gaze upon His beauty because he desired the protection of the Heavenly Father.

Look at verse 5 of today’s passage:
“For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.”
David longed to have fellowship with God in His temple (v. 4) because it was through that communion that he found deliverance from all danger (according to Park Yun-sun).

There is an American gospel song that my wife and I often listened to and meditated on when our first child, Jooyoung, was born.
It’s titled “Under the Shadow of Your Wings,” and part of the lyrics go like this:

“Under the shadow of Your wings,
in Your holy dwelling place,
my God, I wait for You.
Here in Your sanctuary,
Your love leads me.
I give myself to know You.
Cover me with Your love.
Lead me into the depths of Your heart.
Protect me under the shadow of Your wings.
I long to know You.”

This was a song we would listen to and sing every night as we left the hospital parking lot after spending time with Jooyoung.
During those times when my wife and I couldn’t be with our child, we sang this song with hearts praying that God would hold and hide our baby in His secret, holy place under the shadow of His wings.
It was a song of prayer entrusting our child to the protective care of our Heavenly Father.

(3) David was able to ask one thing of God in the midst of fear because he hoped that the Heavenly Father would defeat his enemies and give him victory (v. 6).

This verse indicates that he would not fall in the presence of many enemies, but rather live in peace and hope (according to Park Yun-sun).
We cannot live in a dark and troubled world without hope.
But we have the Lord, who is our hope.
We must lift our eyes and look to Him with hope.

We too must cry out to God in fearful situations, just as David did.
Like David, we must long to dwell in God’s house and gaze upon His beauty, and with that longing, we must earnestly seek God.
Especially in fearful times, we must remain still before the Lord and pray fervently with a heart that longs for His glory.

The more the waves of sin crash around us, the more we cannot help but long for the house of the Lord.
A line from verse 2 of Hymn 543 comes to mind:
“Though I live in a place of sorrow and sin,
I look every day to that bright and glorious place.”

With so much worry in this world and the constant threat of death around us, how can we not long for the house of the Lord and seek His beauty and glory?
We must, like David, cry out to God in the midst of fear.

Third and finally, David praised God in the midst of a fearful situation.

Look at Psalm 27:6:
"Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord."

Even in a fearful situation, David longed for the house of the Lord, hoping in God's protection and victory (v. 5). He also, by faith, vowed to give thanks and praise for the future fulfillment of his desires (v. 6). This was an act of offering a sacrifice of thanksgiving to God as a victor (according to Park Yoon-sun).

How is this possible?
David was still in the midst of dark affliction caused by his enemies, his wicked foes. How could he vow to praise God with a thankful heart as a victor?
It is because, as he prayed to God, he remembered that the same God who had given him victory (salvation) in the past would also surely deliver and grant him victory in his current and future battles against his enemies.

Isn’t that amazing?
The situation had not changed, but David’s heart had.
What changed was his heart—from fear to confidence.
This is the true posture of a person who has genuine faith and who sets their eyes on God.

In Acts 16:25, we read:
"About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them."

Paul and Silas were not crushed by the situation they were facing—they stood above it.
The reason they could act with such joy was because they had true faith (Park Yoon-sun).
David, too, was not ruled by his environment.
Rather, David had a precious faith that ruled over his circumstances.

With absolute trust in God, David praised Him in faith—even in the midst of his dark situation.
Those who pray like this can also offer praise to God.
The one who prays becomes the one who praises.

Therefore, we too must praise God in fearful situations, just as David did.
God tells us:
"Do not fear, for I am with you…" (Isaiah 41:10).

No matter what fearful situation you and I may be facing now—or may face in the future—I pray that we, like David, may stand boldly in prayer and ultimately be raised up as worshippers who praise God.

With a heart that desires to be raised up as a worshipper who is bold, prayerful, and full of praise even in fearful circumstances,

Sharing by Pastor James Kim
(Pursuing transformation of the heart rather than merely a change of fearful circumstances)