Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! -Psalm 27:14
David had as much reason as anyone to be afraid. He was often on the wrong side of those in power. He was often on the wrong side of God’s commandments and facing judgment & condemnation. As a young man, he was often on the run or in battle. As an older man, he was the king and carried all the doubt and anxiety that every leader knows. David’s life was full of fears.
When we think of David, we might be tempted to assume that David dealt with his fear by leaping into action. David was, after all, the teenager who killed a lion, a bear & a giant. As an adult, David was a brutal warlord who rose to power and prominence largely because of his military victories. We might think David’s go-to response to his anxiety was to attack it head-on, confronting his fear with all his power until he conquered the fear, itself.
However, David invites us to consider an alternative response to the power of fear in our lives. At this end of the song where he explores his fears and his hopes for the future, he ends with a command for us all. From the depth of his experience dealing with fear, he encourages us to “Wait.”
David knows that our ability to overcome our doubts and fears lies, ultimately, in our ability to connect with the powerful presence of the God who is always ready to rescue and defend His people. David knows that his victories and his courage may have given him a temporary relief from his troubles, but only God’s victory is final and decisive.
That’s why David frames the question in this way. Instead of seeking victory on the battlefield, David looks for the ultimate victory somewhere else. “One thing I ask…that I may dwell in the house of Lord…and gaze on the beauty of the Lord.” (vs. 4).
The ultimate cure for our fears is to gaze deeply into the eyes of God. In His beauty, we find relief and confidence. By being present with God we realize that the battle is His to fight & the victory is His to win. And all our scheming and striving are merely noise and fury that distract us from the fundamental realities of the battle. Instead of searching for solutions and strategies for victory over our fear, we find our peace and courage when we truly calm ourselves to simply “dwell” & “wait” in His presence.
Comments
Post a Comment