Love Drives Out Fear.
Reflections on Psalms 34
By Tanja
“I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears.”
Psalms 34:4
Do you have a testimony? King David had a testimony. In Psalm 34, verse 4, David testifies what the Lord had done for him. He sought the Lord, and the Lord had answered him. The Lord had delivered him from his fears.
David had been having a hard time. David had gone to King Achish because he was running away from King Saul. The people had recognised who David was, that he was famously praised. He had a moment of fear grip his heart. What would they do to him? He didn’t want to be noticed, so he acted like he was insane.
After this circumstance, David had turned to praising the Lord and giving a personal testimony about God. ‘God is good,’ was his conclusion. David is saying that it is better to fear the Lord.
It’s different from being someone who fears the Lord than being stuck on being confused. Many people have fears. In recent times, people’s concerns have escalated, as they have worried about the outcomes of their own life. Some people are so afraid. Maybe having fear could make you act in peculiar ways, perhaps?
But should we live in fear? Should fear be dominant in our lives?
We should have a fear of the Lord. God is the One who cares more about you than anyone else. He knows your true worth (Matthew 10:31). You are valuable. Is that the way you’ve been thinking?
What do we fear? In Phillip Yancey’s book, he talks of a man who found this to be true:
“…Life will always include circumstances that incite fear: if not illness, financial hardship, if not poverty, rejection, if not loneliness, failure. In such a world, (there) is a choice: to fear God, or to fear everything else.”[1] The Bible talks about having a fear of the Lord. It does not mean to be afraid of God and think He will hurt you, but it means to put Him first in your life. Regard the Lord as higher than anything else. Make Jesus Lord, and don’t bow down to circumstances.
Yancey says that one of the best weapons to fight against fear is gratitude.[2] Write down some things you are thankful for and shout out praise to God!
The Bible says that love will drive out nasty fear:
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18
There are two things to work on; gratitude and love.
What are the promises for fearing God only in verse 9? “Fear the Lord, you his holy people, for those who fear Him lack nothing.” Psalms 34:9 Hold on to the promises of God in your life and remember that He is always good.
[1] Philip Yancey, Where Is God When It Hurts? (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1997), 175.
[2] Ibid., 174.
