The Psalms never cease to inspire and amaze me with their relevance to everyday life. The psalms are full of real people expressing what it feels like to be human! There are happy psalms and angry psalms and peaceful psalms. There are psalms written by people and communities doing their best to overcome fear.
Psalm 27 is an expression of perseverance, faith, and longing. The writer pleads for God’s presence and deliverance from danger. The psalmist writes, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1).
The truth is, we don’t always feel brave. We don’t always feel ready to confront our fears and struggles. In these moments, we can hold on tight to God’s word. We can find verses and stories that remind us that people have been standing up to their fears for a long time. The psalms offer a way to explore both human emotion and the realities of a life of faith.
This message is excerpted from “Fear in the Bible” by Emily Carson in the November 2021 Café online magazine.
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