LEARNING DAILY

Psalm 27:1, 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?

2 Timothy 1:7, For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Read again what David writes about the Lord. He is “light”, “salvation”, and “strength”. In Scripture light often refers to knowledge, truth, and goodness. Light helps one be aware of their surroundings even when it is dark. Jesus said in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world.” For David the “light” was the source of his joy, his understanding and his life. The Lord was also his source of salvation; He “saved” David from his enemies. David, the warrior, never forgot who the source of his victories was. As David’s strength, the Lord was his security, where he took refuge.

When David considered the Lord in this way, he had no reason to fear anyone. Paul wrote to Timothy giving him a reason to not fear. Perhaps Timothy needed to be encouraged to not fear something. He encouraged Timothy to stand strong because God had given him a spirit or attitude of power and self-control. Timothy must have needed to understand the power he had in the work he was doing for God; there was no need to fear.

In many of the Psalms that David wrote, he prayed for God to deliver him from his enemies. David was chased by Saul who wanted to kill him. David was chased by his son, Absalom. David was surrounded by his enemies. Yet, David dealt with his fear and troubles by acknowledging God and looking to Him with confidence. He was confident in the One who had delivered him from his enemies in the past; David knew God would do it again.

As David was confident God would deliver him from his physical enemies, the Believer can rest in the Lord, knowing the Lord is their light, salvation, and strength. Believers are not immune to people slandering them, gossiping about them, or doing things to them that might harm them. There are things that cause Believers to have anxiety about their situation or what lies ahead; they need to be reassured that the Lord is with them. That was David’s situation.

What are you facing today? Be assured that God loves you more than you can imagine and wants to walk with you through it. When you place Him at the center of your life, do all you can to walk the narrow way, God will, “light your lamp, and will light up your darkness” (Psalm 18:28). He will be “your light and protector, give grace and glory, and not withhold any good thing from those who do what is right” (Psalm 84:11).

Reading more in Psalm 28 and you will see that David would have lost heart if did not believe in the power of the Lord to deal with his situation. When the worries and fears come the Believer’s way, trust in the Lord, as David did. Doing so brings comfort and confidence that He is in control. I pray you have found His love and goodness are necessary to persevering in this walk of faith. Draw close to Him and be diligent to walk the narrow way, with Him, into His kingdom.