Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident. 

Psalm 27:3

How shall we respond to dire circumstances? David trusted Christ and placed all his confidence in Him. Thus he could say, ‘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?’ A casual reading of David’s personal history reveals numerous instances when an army encamped against him. Many sought to war against him. He had foes, both foreign and domestic. How could he live in confidence, free from heart-fear? Christ is the answer. Christ was David’s light and his salvation. Christ was the strength of his life. Christ defeated his enemies in the midst of their evil endeavors. Thus even though he faced the most dire situations, David could testify, ‘My heart shall not fear.’ David’s Christ is our Christ. David’s salvation is our salvation. David’s defender is our Defender. His circumstances were often life and death encounters. If David could live without fear in his heart because Christ was his light and his salvation, we can live without fear in our heart for the same reason. He was confident in Christ. We also can be confident in Christ. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. As we go forth day by day to encounter what may be hostile and toxic situations, we can do so trusting in Christ, the portion of His people. 

Our Glorious, Living God, 
we rejoice that You deliver us from fear. 
We praise You that we can face perilous situations, 
knowing You are our Defender. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

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? When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell. 

Psalm 27:1-2 

How can we live with strength in the presence of our enemies? Fear is not simply what we experience when someone is actively doing us harm. Fear is, perhaps more often, the anxiety we feel because of what might happen. Thus fear is the antithesis to strong living. Fear is natural. If often has a logical, rational foundation. David’s enemies were real, armed, and intended to destroy him. His fears were not groundless. He did not want to live in fear any more than we do. The antidote for David’s fear was Christ. He identified Christ as his Shepherd, his King, and his Lord. He had good evangelical knowledge. Because he knew Christ, he could live with strength. This stands in stark contrast to living fearfully. Jehovah was the strength of David’s life. He is the strength of our life as well. We have enemies who want to destroy us. They may not come at us with sword and spear, but they are no less our enemies.  How shall we live with strength? Christ is the answer. He is the strength of our life. He is our Shepherd, our King, and our Strength. What would normally paralyze us with fear, we are able to face with strength and bravery because, He makes us strong. To Christ alone be the glory.  

We rest on You,  
our Shield and our Defender. 
You are all our Hope  
in the land of the living. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell.  

Psalm 27:2 

Christ defeats the enemies of His people. The Scripture abounds with instances of this. David had personal  experience with it. As a young person he had seen Goliath the Philistine giant stumble and fall. Samuel gives instances where David gained victory over those who would have destroyed Israel. When he wrote this psalm he was speaking from what he had witnessed of God’s defense of His people. We can look to others in the Scripture who saw their enemies stumble and fall because of God’s intervention. The book of Esther is the account of one such deliverance. Daniel in the lion’s den is another vignette of God preserving His Own people and defeating their enemies. In Daniel’s case, it was the Angel, or messenger of Jehovah Who came to him. The pre-incarnate Christ delivered him from the lions. Afterward, the king threw Daniel’s accusers into the lions’ den. Thus they stumbled and fell. These are a few of many instances where those who have sought to do harm to God’s people have stumbled and fallen. Christ is the enemy of His people’s enemies. He defends His Own and defeats their foes. This increases His people’s confidence in Him. We have every reason to trust Christ Who has shown Himself faithful on behalf of those who have trusted Him. If we are His we will never lack enemies. He deals with them that we not put forth our hands to do evil.  

Our Great Defender and our God, 
we rejoice that You act on our behalf. 
We praise You that You preserve us from all kinds of evil. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

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? 

Psalm 27:1 

Christ delivers us from fear. Fear is part of life from our earliest experiences. Even an infant who has no experience in the world, can demonstrate fear. As young children we may have been afraid of the dark or the monsters we thought were under our bed. As adults we experience fear of various situations or of particular people. What can remove our fear? Christ is the answer. Christ has removed the fear of His people for generations. In our text David is testifying of Christ, his light and his salvation. What does he consider to be one of the chief benefits of this relationship? It is the absence of his fear, specifically of what other people would do to him. David was not being paranoid. He was often in the situation in life where someone was genuinely trying to kill him. It was either the Philistines, or the King of Israel, or someone else. Given the various circumstances of his life, he had good reason to fear. Christ his light and his salvation removed his fear. Christ is our light and our salvation. He removed David’s fear and can remove ours. We know what fear is, we recognized it when we experience it. We do not have to live in it. Christ, our light and our salvation, delivers us from living in fear.  

Our Great God and our Savior, 
we rejoice that You are unto us what we need most. 
We praise You that, because You are, 
we can be brave. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning