Trust Over Terror
Pentecost + 3 – June 30,
2019
“My Light and My
Salvation”
“So, first of all, let me
assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is… fear itself…”
· FDR famously declared
these words in his 1933 Inaugural Address
· In the throes of Great
Depression, when many people had lots of reasons to fear
o Unemployment, any savings
eaten up, banking crisis, downward economic spiral for so much of the nation
o FDR names these things as
he continued to speak
· And yet, reminded his
listeners that fear can become terror that paralyzes
o Calls to mind other
challenges the nation had faced and overcome and calls them to action
· Reminds me of the
Psalmist, who opens this poem, this “Triumphant Song of Confidence” as my study
Bible describes it, with powerful words:
o “The Lord is my light and
my salvation; whom shall I fear?
o The Lord is the stronghold
of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
· Words of trust, almost
defiant -
And yet, the Psalmist
has more to fear than fear itself – goes on to list all of the potential things
that cause fear to rise:
· When evildoers assail me
to devour my flesh, my adversaries and foes
· Though an army encamp
against me, though war rise up against me
· He describes enemies all
around, worries that his parents may forsake or abandon him
· Asks God for help in the
face of adversaries and false witnesses who rise against him, breathing
violence
· The Psalmist, like FDR, is
not in denial about the struggles of life – past, present, or potential
o “keeping it real” – he’s
been through trouble and dark times in the past
o Life, even as a faithful
follower of the Lord, is not promised to be always safe and secure
We have more to fear
than fear itself too
· We’d love for life to be
sunshine and roses and happy times always
· We’d rather not have
struggles against cancer or diabetes or depression
o And we’d rather our loved
ones didn’t have to go through such things
· We’d rather not have to
fear about our finances, now or what the future may hold
· Downsizing and decluttering
and moving on into a new phase of life
· Rather not have our kids
and grandkids have to practice lock-down drills at school in case an active
assailant targets them; rather not have to put the location of other exits in
our bulletin each week for the same reason
· Rather not have to worry
about the potential of engaging in war with other countries – Iran currently
the prime example
· Rather not have to worry
about the inhumane treatment of children separated from their families at the
border of our nation – and what this does to them – and what it does to the
guards and to all of us as we wrestle with how to keep our own humanity even as
we seek resolution to the challenges of immigration
· And what else is keeping
you up at night these days?
o Whom do you fear? Of whom
or what are you afraid?
· Where is God in this?
· So much for a triumphant
song of confidence that declares the only thing we have to fear is fear itself!
And yet… God Helps In
Troubled Times
· But this ain’t the
Psalmist’s first rodeo!
o Psalm names all of these
struggles and potentials for danger because he’s been through them before
o And what makes this a
psalm of trust instead of lament is that the author looks back at all of the
times of trouble before and remembers that God always shows up
o “The Lord is my light” – God
doesn’t leave him cowering in the darkness blind to what is around him! God
brings light, God IS light, in the darkness that threatens to overwhelm us
o “the Lord is my salvation”
– God has saved him in the past; God can be trusted to save him again
o “The Lord is the
stronghold of my life” – “A Mighty Fortress is Our God, a sword and shield
victorious!”
o All of the dangers – the
evildoers, the enemies and armies and war that threaten – they are not more
powerful than the love of God who holds the Psalmist secure
§ Who hides him in his
shelter in the day of trouble
§ Who conceals him in his
tent
§ Who sets him high on a
rock, out of reach of his enemies
§ Who will not abandon him,
but takes him up
· The psalmist’s
relationship with the God who saves leads him to declare hope and promise: “I
believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” –
not after he dies, but while he yet lives
· He chooses trust instead
of terror, because he knows that better days are on the way through the power
of God
And this promise is for us too, that God is a God who helps us when we are in trouble!
· Trouble comes; fears of
many kinds arise
o And yet we hope and trust
and know and believe that God does not abandon us in darkness or give us over
to enemies and adversaries, whatever they may be
· God loves us. God lights
the way. God promises saving, in some way we can’t always see in the now – and for eternity
· God is a stronghold, a
refuge, a place where we can hide, where we find ourselves lifted up, where we
are led on a level path, even with enemies around us.
· So we sing with the psalm,
shouting with joy (yes, shy Lutherans can shout with joy ;), making melody so
that even our enemies can hear us
· And if you aren’t in that
place just yet – just you wait… Wait for the Lord, the psalm says.
o Be strong, let your heart
take courage; fear need not paralyze us.
o Wait for the Lord, who
will come to help and to save.
· Thanks be to God!
· Amen!!
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