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? 2 When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. 3 Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. —Psalm 27:1-3
Children are afraid of the dark; adults are afraid of the darkness. No longer do we tremble beneath the sheets, scared of the imaginary monster under the bed. We have matured, and so have our fears. Now we understand that monsters are real.
They have names, these monsters. They are called Unethical Boss, Pressuring Peer, Impossible Husband, Dissatisfied Wife, Ungodly Government, Angry Neighbor, Abusive Uncle. “My name is Legion, for we are many.” Our monsters are many, and scary. They are people whose favor we wish to have but don’t; they are people whose displeasure toward us is painful; they are people who pose a threat to our well-being; they are people who seek to harm us. They are people. We are afraid of people. “My name is Fear of Man, for we are many.”
King David understood the fear of man. Saul had raged against him, twice seeking to pin his body to the wall with a spear. Absalom, his own son, would betray him. Shimei cursed him. Sheba stirred up the northern tribes against him. Entire armies sought his destruction—the Philistines, the Amalekites, the Ammonites—just how many enemy encampments did David see?
How did David battle his fear? Did he do some yoga? Did he stress-eat? Did he go play golf? No. David looked at the Lord. He looked long and hard. He gazed. He sought. And what David saw dispelled the darkness of his fear and invigorated his faith.
The Lord is my light! Remember the times you have been helped by light—a nightlight as a child, a campfire in the woods, a flashlight in a cave, a candle when the electricity goes out. How relieved you felt once you could see! David felt that relief as he looked at the light of the Lord. His fear vanished. Your fear will vanish too, even more so since you stand in greater brightness than David. The light of the world has shone on you. You could not be safer than you are in Jesus.
The Lord is my refuge! God is the stronghold of your life, a place of safety. In him you are secure, no matter what monstrous thing your foe may do. Even should you be killed, not a hair of your head will perish.
The Lord is my defender! Those seeking to trip you up will stumble and fall. True, they may harm you before they’re on the ground. But God will see to it that justice is done. You can be as confident as an Easter morning that evil will not have the last word in your life.
We understand now that our childhood fear of monsters was unnecessary. The good news in Jesus is that our adult fear of monsters is equally unnecessary. Not because monsters aren’t real, but because God is. We don’t have to be afraid of the darkness. Look at the Lord. Look at him.
For Reflection
What are your monsters?
How do you currently battle your fears? Do you use Scripture to fight this battle?
How does God’s justice help you overcome your fear of man? (cf. 1 Peter 2:23)