Do not fear or worry – God will protect us Psalm 27:1

One of the most destructive things in a person’s life can be fear or worry about things they cannot change. David recognised that God was his light and that he had no need to worry as God will handle his trials for his good. The same principle applies to us.

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? Psalm 27:1

King David and his problems

The words of Psalm 27 were written by David and it is clear from the words that he was facing a time of trouble. The Septuagint [1] adds that the Psalm was written before he was anointed. But it is not clear exactly when that time was. Some think that the time of trouble David was experienced when he was hunted by Saul in relation to who would be king in the future.

Anyway, whatever trouble David was experiencing he writes about his feelings in Psalm 27. These are very personal words as he uses pronouns that are singular and refer to himself: “my”, “Ï”, “me”.  It is clear that David is turning to God to help him as he struggles with the overwhelming challenges that he faces. This is a Psalm for us as well when we struggle with the trials of life.

Fellowship with God

The words of verse one show us the calmness we can feel when we have fellowship with God. What does fellowship with God mean? For us, it means recognising that there is a great God, then seeking to have a relationship with Him and then getting baptised. The baptism is our way of showing that we are now committed to God – he will be our Heavenly Father and we will be his spiritual sons and daughters. We live our lives dedicated to God and accepting his son Jesus as the man we should use as our life long example. Jesus is our saviour and our future king.

A close relationship of faith

David worshipped God and very much had a close relationship with Him. In verse one we can see that he calmly saw God as the one who could help him when he was the middle of jeopardy. He had a strong faith and knew that God would be there with him. What about us as we struggle to survive the trials of life? All we need to do is have faith and trust in God that he will help us to the other side of that period of trial. We need to have those same victorious words of David where he did not need to have fear as he knew God was there as his protector.

Let us allow those words of David to enter into our heart, so that when we inevitable face trials we can remember that we need not fear as God is there to help us through. The worse we can do is allow fear or worry to consume us as they are both destructive forces in our life. They can lead to physical illness because of the anguish and trauma we go through in our minds. Why go through that when God has offered to be there for us and help us through? All we need do is keep repeating and thinking about the words “The Lord [God] is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?”. Not just repeat those words but believe them – be confident in them. When we do this, we move our problems across to God and He will handle them for us.  God is all powerful – there is nothing he cannot do.

Light

David says in verse one that “The Lord is my light”. Why use this phrase? When we look through the pages of the Bible we see that light is one of the great symbols of God. In Genesis chapter one when we read about the creation of the world by God, we see that one of the first things he did was creating light….”Let there be light”. In New Testament times, John talks about light in relation to God:

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 1 John 1:5

John declares that God is light, not that God is the Light. God as to His very nature, essence and character is light. God is Light itself. His children on earth must reflect that light as they were begotten by it. This message is taught many times in the Bible. When Israel was walking through the wilderness, there was a pillar of fire, that was both a light to show where they were walking and also a barrier between them and those chasing them. This pillar of fire was a reassuring sign that showed God’s presence with them as they travelled. It told them that He would guide them and also that He would protect them from those who wished to do them harm. There have been many other examples of the brilliant light of God – the flaming sword in the garden of Eden; the burning bush and Moses; Moses face shining at Sinai.

Life without that light

When we consider light in the scriptures it represents almost everything that is positive. It speaks of truth and goodness. This brings us back to verse one of Psalm 27. Light is the answer to overcoming fear. We can gain strength from the knowing the “light” and this is the answer to fear. Without that light our very life is without meaning. On their own, without that light, men and women lack the understanding of right and wrong. He (or she) has no inner light which tells them how they should act. All direction in relation to right and wrong comes from God, it isn’t something we are born with.

If man does have God in his life, then he has God’s guidance and this will eventually bring salvation. However, if a man does not have God and he lives his life according to what he or other men [women] tell him, then his understanding is darkened and his situation becomes hopeless:

They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. Ephesians 4:18

God’s stronghold

Verse one speaks of the Lord God as being a stronghold in life. This stronghold is a place of safety where there should be no actual fear. It certainly does not mean we will avoid all suffering and illness but it does mean that God will  assist us to work through these problems calmly and in a tranquil way knowing that immortality has been promised to the faithful. This kingdom in the future will bring an end to all these things.

Sons of light

To those who are baptised and become disciples of Christ, you become “sons of light”.  We shine as lights in the world as we reflect the character of God and His son the Lord Jesus Christ:

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,  for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Philippians 2:12-16

We don’t walk in darkness as we know the wishes of our Heavenly Father. We are his children of light:

But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 1 Thessalonians 5:4-8

To have true fellowship with the Father and the Son requires us to walk in this light:

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:5-7

God is Light and in Him is no darkness at all. He is always shining and we can always turn to Him in prayer to receive the warmth of His Presence. David knew this and so must we.

[1] The Septuagint is the earliest Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible from the original Hebrew.