Delivered From All My Fears
There are many Psalms written when the Psalmist was afraid, of all manner of threats. It is a book of raw, honest emotions. Each person is different, but one Psalm has spoken to me in a time of fear, more than any other. It is the one I share most often with someone facing surgery, and I will say, this is the one I go to when I am a little scared of something, Psalms 34. In it, David says, “I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears” (Psalms 34:4).
I Was Scared
It was a time when I was scared. Scared enough to keep me awake at night thinking and worrying. I had some pains down in my abdomen, didn’t know what they were. I saw my doctor, he thought we ought to run some tests. The tests were scheduled a ways off, so I had a lot of time to think. I had been watching too many medical shows, and I was sure it was cancer. Looking to the scriptures for comfort, I found Psalms 34. I memorized it, and recited it until I would go to sleep at night. Turned out it was a manageable thing, but God got me through when I simply didn’t know.
A Very Scary Time of David’s Life
Reading the background of that Psalm, I found that it was written by David at a VERY scary time of his life. He was running from Saul and his armies and Israel is not a very big place to find a place to hide. He was alone without food or a weapon as he arrived at Nob. Ahimelech the priest gave him bread, and Goliath’s sword, which was kept there. Very shortly, he had to run again, and there was nowhere to run, but Gath of the Philistines, which was Goliath’s hometown! (The story is in 1 Samuel 21:10-15).
The Last Place He Wanted To Go
It was the last place he would want to go, after killing Goliath. Not only that, he showed up at the gate with Goliath’s sword! It was crazy for him to be there, so he decided to run with it. He pretended to be insane, rolling on the ground, scratching on the gate, slobbering all over his beard. He was absolutely terrified, and apparently was convincing, because Achish the king of Gath said, “Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this one to act the madman in my presence? Shall this one come into my house?” (1 Samuel 21:15). So they let him lay there outside the gate, and eventually he slipped away.
God Delivered David From All His Fears
The thoughts of Psalm 34 are what was going through his mind as he was laying there. God delivered him from all his fears. When we have been separated from all the things we might look to for comfort, and it is just us and God, if we will look to Him, he will give us incredible things. David declares, “This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and rescues them” (Psalms 34:6,7). This was the thought of the guy lying at the gate of his enemies, rolling on the ground pretending to be crazy.
God Is Listening For Our Cry To Him
There are many insights that he shares in this Psalm for the one who is vulnerable to a fearful situation. The thing that means so much to me is that God is listening for our cry to Him. “The righteous cry, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalms 34:17,18). Not just hurting, but broken, not just bruised but crushed. The Lord is there, and He delivers us from all our fears.
The words of this Psalm have been my companion on hospital visits. Once I was on a visit to a dear lady, who was in the six month process of leaving this life. She was unconscious, and had the telltale rattle in her breathing. Reading this to her, the breathing calmed and relaxed, though she could not speak to me.
God Gave Him Peace
A call came to me at 2:30 am, to come to the emergency room where I found a friend whose eyes spoke of abject terror, he’d had a heart attack and could not speak. I read Psalm 34, and as he listened, God gave him peace. He delivered him from his fears.
There are many passages in the Psalms that bring comfort and strength, this is just one of them. But they run the spectrum of every emotion that someone can experience. We all deal with fears, but all too often we forget that God is able to deliver us from our fears.
God Is Watching, and He Is Listening.
If you find yourself lying at the gates of Gath, and maybe wondering if you are crazy, remember this. God is with you, and “The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry” (Psalms 34:15). He is watching, and He is listening.
Chasing Sunsets – Pastor Clay’s Devotions
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You have such a tender heart for the Father. Blessings❤
That is encouraging! God bless you