“I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. I will glory in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.

I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.

This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

Fear the Lord, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” Psalm 34:1-14‬ NIV‬

 

The Lord gave this Psalm to me recently as I was seeking Him about some circumstances in ministry and in my families’ life.

One reality I have had to come to terms with is that fear has greater control over me than I ever imagined. I have consistently pondered the reality of how fear can and does impact how we react to life.

The writer is this psalm, assumed to be David, says something we all must hear, “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.”

Not only does David testify he sought the Lord, but the Lord answered him and in answering him DELIVERED him from ALL his fears.

What could happen in your life and in your family if you could be delivered from fear? What could change? What could be transformed? My guess is being delivered from fears could radically transform life, all of life.

I heard a song proclaiming that fear is a liar. That song can not be more true. The devil desires to fill us with fear so that we do not trust in God.

The psalmist goes on to tell us that instead, we are to fear God. This is not an instruction to be afraid but to trust. Friends, we can not only trust in God, we must trust in God.

This world is full of fears, disunity, and violence, but in all of this, God is still in control and we can trust in him. Trusting in God is the liberation and deliverance each soul is longing to know.

We really have no other option but to trust in God. Trusting in Him is the deliverance of fear. That is Good News!

 

Rev. Brad McKenzie is Lead Pastor at Orange First Church of the Nazarene, 3810 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, in Orange.