Fear is not my Future | Psalm 3
How do you handle fear? Fear is one of the first and primal emotions we experience. When a baby is born, they are not crying out of joy but pure panic and fear. Throughout our lives we experience different kinds of fears and anxieties. Ed Welch, a Christian counselor, his book Running Scared says that “fear is natural to us. We don’t have to learn it. We experience fear and anxiety even before there’s any logical reason for it.” The most repeated command in the Bible is “fear not” (366x) because we are so prone to be afraid. How many decisions you make based in fear? What you eat, what you wear, what you buy, where you go, what you do, what you say, who you hang out with and even what you think are often influenced by fear. Soren Kierkegaard said that “anxiety is the dizziness of freedom.” It is the inner vertigo we feel when we realize how much is on the line and how little control we have; we are afraid of making the wrong choices, the future, and our safety. Fear expresses our weakness amid the threats of daily life. Welch again, “Listen to your fears and you hear them speak about things that have personal meaning to you…to deeply understand fear we must look at ourselves and the way we interpret our situations.” Fear is an opportunity to grow closer to God and allow Him to comfort and calm your fears.
Psalm 3 is a lament psalm written by David in the middle of heartbreak (2 Samuel 14-16). He is writing while he is running from his son Absalom. Absalom had stolen the hearts of the people and was attempting to overthrow his dad in a coup. David left Jerusalem weeping and barefoot. He was humiliated, harassed and embarrassed. (CEO being fired by his son.) This was the most painful moment of David’s life. It was a rip your heart out kind of betrayal with literal armies trying to kill you. Yet, David was able to praise the Lord and could sleep at night. How? He dealt with his fear. Psalm 3 teaches us to talk to God about our fear, see your fear through God and talk to our fears about God. Name it, Frame it, Tame it.