Day 38: Comfort from the Poets

Posted on: April 15, 2025
by: Gerrit Dawson, Senior Pastor

Every day, pray aloud worshipfully this golden thread that weaves through the entire tapestry of God’s intent for us.

Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD,

when I will make a new covenant with the

house of Israel. . . .

I will put my law within them,

and I will write it on their hearts.

And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

They shall all know me, from the least of them

to the greatest. . . .

For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will

remember their sin no more.

(Jeremiah 31:31, 33-34)

Daily Scripture

Psalm 27:1-6, 14

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?

When evildoers assail me

to eat up my flesh,

my adversaries and foes,

it is they who stumble and fall.

Though an army encamp against me,

my heart shall not fear;

though war arise against me,

yet I will be confident.

One thing have I asked of the LORD,

that will I seek after:

that I may dwell in the house of the LORD

all the days of my life,

to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD

and to inquire in his temple.

For he will hide me in his shelter

in the day of trouble;

he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;

he will lift me high upon a rock.

And now my head shall be lifted up

above my enemies all around me,

and I will offer in his tent

sacrifices with shouts of joy;

I will sing and make melody to the LORD.

Wait for the LORD;

be strong, and let your heart take courage;

wait for the LORD!

Isaiah 41:10

Fear not, for I am with you;

be not dismayed, for I am your God;

I will strengthen you, I will help you,

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Picking Up the Thread

The very rhythm of the words in Psalm 27 creates peace. David prays in a cadence of calm. He fully recognizes dangers and opposition. But he refers all events with the centrality of the character of the LORD I AM.

He sees how there are adversaries who want to destroy him. An army of problems marches toward him encircling him with bad intent. A day of trouble has arrived, and the surrounding opponents could engulf him. As kids, we called that “getting rumbled,” “being pounded,” or simply “smeared.” It’s frightening to anticipate the frustration of being thoroughly thwarted. The damage that can be done legitimately terrifies us.

The opposition David encounters has faces. He knows the people coming for him. That may be true for us as well. At other times, the fear-inducing enemy may be faceless circumstances. A crisis in the industry in which we work. Crippling new regulations. An imminent audit. Restrictions on our speech. Sudden disease. Complications from an accident.

What’s more, there is an enemy behind the seen enemy. There exists spiritual opposition to God’s will and Word. Martin Luther observes, “[T]his world with devils filled / may threaten to undo us” (“A Mighty Fortress”). The evil one does not want life, love, holiness and growth to occur, and he can very vehemently terrify us with threats of our undoing.

In any and every case, Psalm 27 directs us to how God can create peace even amid fearsome hostilities on every level.

David sings a cascade of qualities of the God who loves us. Let’s review. The LORD is light, the radiant force required for growth, sight, warmth and health. God is also our salvation. He delivers us from dire circumstances. (You wouldn’t be reading this if God hadn’t saved you many, many times in your life already!) Christ Jesus also frees us from self-tyranny, the weight of guilt, the stain of sin and the accusations of shame. And he gives us hope that though we will not be spared mortality, there is more life to come, much, much more.

The LORD is also David’s strength, his stronghold. Because David feared the LORD properly, coordinating his whole life with God’s reality, he finds that God gives him strength beyond his own inner resources. The sovereign, loving reign of God is a fortress into which David can retreat. He finds with God a respite from “the strife of tongues” (Psalm 31:20), a safe place for his soul to rest amid accusations and threats.

Psalm 27 continues with a triple metaphor. The LORD is for David a shelter in the day of trouble, a tent within which he can hide, and a rock upon which he can repose far above the tumult.

The peace of God multiplies when we mix in the voice of the LORD himself speaking through Isaiah. All the qualities of God that David noted become promises of immediate action in Isaiah 41: “Fear not, for I am with you. . . . I will strengthen you . . . help you . . . uphold you.” God actively intervenes on behalf of his people.

Stitching It In

Today we see again the pattern for subduing fear we noted earlier. David has asked himself under immense pressure, “Who is the LORD God? Who is the LORD God to me?”

Aligning our lives with the character and past actions of God anchors our whole being. It lifts us above circumstances. It powers down anxiety with an eternal perspective.

We can return to words from Luther’s great hymn, “The prince of darkness grim, / we tremble not for him. . . . . The body they may kill; / God’s truth abideth still: / His kingdom is forever” (“A Mighty Fortress”).

One of the more reliable ways I know of dealing with fears is to list them out on a piece of paper. I put “I fear . . .” at the top of the page, then make notes for all that threatens me. Surprisingly, seeing the whole list calms me. It all fits on a page. It’s a lot, but not too much for the triune God. Fears fall into perspective when I get them out of my swirling head and onto a page. Then I can offer them up one at a time or as a whole list. Raising the paper above me, I give myself to Christ even as I say, “Please take these. Please be at work within them. Show me what to do next. For you my light, my strength and my salvation.”

Praying Along the Pattern

As a child walking safely with a parent,

I reach up my hand and find that you take it.

The crowd of big people pushing all around us

Cannot sweep me away, for your grip prevails.

The noise of traffic and machinery,

Human designs so insistent and deafening,

Cannot keep your voice from me,

“I am with you. I am your God.”

The fear that none of these passersby

Would ever want my company, ever care,

Fades in the comfort of the warmth so near