Fear - Pt. 6

 

Out of my distress I called on the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me free. The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The LORD is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. (Psalm 118:5-7 ESV).

 

My thoughts in relation to the fear of what others may do to me have always revolved around a thought: “What is the worst they can do? They can’t eat me.” Well, I know that’s not entirely true; and, sometimes it feels that I have been devoured by the lies and hurtful actions of others. We have all had such experiences from time to time. The psalmist asks the question in our reading today: “What can man do to me?” I think we all know what the psalmist is getting at here, but people can be mean! They can hurt us verbally, emotionally, psychologically, and physically. And my guess is that we’ve all experienced at least one of those hurts, if not all of them. I don’t necessarily live in daily fear of physical harm, but some people do, and that can be devastating. Others live with a different, but just as devastating fear. They live in fear of being hurt by people’s words.

 

The answer to this fear is an essential part of how we can overcome the feeling of hopelessness in the face of rejection and hurt by others. Our meme today is a quote by Gloria Copeland. It is a great expression of the positive truth expressed in our reading today to help us be such overcomers.

 

Undoubtedly the psalmist knew all of that as well as we do. He was pursued and threatened with bodily harm. But even in the midst of threats and dangers, he was able to give thanks to God, confess that the Lord was with him, and be certain that mere mortals could not ultimately destroy him.

 

While people might be able to hurt our bodies or minds, they can’t hurt our souls. And while people can hurt us in this world, they can’t hurt us forever. That is the message the psalmist wants us to hear. We aren’t assured of health and safety on this earth. But we don’t need to fear what anyone on this earth can do to us. They cannot control our destiny. With God, we can be certain that our destiny is in his hands. Put your complete trust in God’s ultimate design and destiny for you. Even if they eat you, they cannot destroy you. Your future is secure in Christ!