Welcome back to our study of different Psalms and how they can strengthen and help us overcome fear. We continue to look at David’s heart coming out in these beautiful Psalms, remember, David dealt with some incredibly scary moments and today will be no different! We really built this whole teaching off of a line from a really challenging moment of David’s life. Do you remember the line? This one sentence can really help us understand the key to overcoming fear.
1 Samuel 30:7 But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. ESV
The key to overcoming fear is surrendering your life to God. It’s seeking God first. It’s coming to Jesus to find peace. It’s taking all of our stress and worry to him as Paul encouraged us to do. It’s going to God who is love who casts out all fear. It’s exactly why David could press on in the face of this terrible moment…because David strengthened himself in the Lord.
So overcoming fear isn’t about David’s personality. It isn’t his circumstances. It isn’t his IQ score. He can overcome fear because he turns to His Heavenly Father in all things. Today we study Psalm 112, and while I can’t tell you who wrote this Psalm, it continues to strengthen this idea of how to overcome fear. So once again grab your Bibles, and something to write with and let’s study this Psalm together.
Psalms 112 Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands. 2 His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. 4 Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man. 5 Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice. 6 Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. 7 He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. 8 His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes. 9 He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor. 10 The wicked man will see and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing. NIV
So let’s just take a moment and slow down. If you have your Bible open, please highlight or underline verses 7 and 8. Now let’s narrow the focus down to just verse 7. Think about the times you are living in right now and let’s read verse 7 again, this time in the NLT version.
Psalms 112:7 They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them. NLT
Now I would like to ask you some questions, so again today take the time to reflect intentionally on this Psalm and these questions.
- What can you take from this passage as I walk through fear and difficulty in my own life?
- Take a moment and think through verse 7, read it in different versions. What does that mean to you especially in the times we live in today with a Global Pandemic on our hands?
- Why do we see again that a person can have a secure heart and feel no fear?
- Do you find great delight in the Lord’s commands? This poem is describing the surrendered life. Have you considered that a surrendered life is a life that is lived unshaken, secure, with no fear of bad news?
Before you move on from this moment, take some time and pray, talk to your Heavenly Father about what it looks like to turn to God, and to find strength in Him.