Faith Over Fear || Psalm 118:5-6 || Manna for the Mind #2

Welcome to Day 2 of my “Manna for the Mind” devotional series! This series takes a passage of scripture (typically 1-3 verses) and builds its understanding through its context and connecting scripture. Doing this helps us understand what the Bible truly teaches us.

Psalm 118:5-6

5          In my distress I prayed to the Lord, and the Lord answered me and set me free.

6          The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?

One thing I’ve learned in the various studies I’ve done on the Psalms is that they don’t always explain their context directly. It comes from the connecting scriptures that utilize similar words and themes, often additional verses in Psalms. Psalms are prayers and laments that express deep emotion to God, so seeing Psalms use similar words and themes helps us tremendously gain understanding.

Psalm 18:19

19        He led me to a place of safety; he rescued me because he delights in me.

We connect to God responding to the psalmist after asking for safety and freedom.

Psalm 37:23-24

23        The Lord directs in the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.

24        Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.

One whom God delights in is the one who follows God, trusts him, and tries to do his will. God watches over and makes the firm every step that person takes.

Have you ever walked outside after a rainy day and accidentally (or purposely, if you’re like that) stepped into a mud puddle that looked deeper than it appeared? Walking with God allows for our steps to not sink deeper into the mud. It firms it up. We don’t have to guess where we walk but walk confidently over that puddle without fear. God leads us to those safe places.

Imagine if we were walking through that deep mud puddle on our way to a date or a job interview, sunk into it, and soaked (and probably ruined) our shoes and pants. How would you feel? Ashamed? Angry? Disappointed? It would ruin your mood and probably your day. Walking through life without God allows all those emotions to lead and guide us. Walking through life with God gives us confidence, letting us get where we need to go without worry. The journey to our destination can still lead us to feel shame, anger, and sadness, but we know that God allows all these things to happen while still walking on his firm foundation. We must rely on God to provide us the security to navigate without fear, even if life turns us sideways. God is good and allows for the side routes to happen that can and will redirect us towards his path.

Psalm 41:1

1          Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor! The Lord rescues them when they are in trouble.

The Bible talks about God’s care for those who are weak, poor, and in need and how he blesses those who share this concern. God wants our generosity to reflect his own free giving. He blesses us, and we should bless others. Continuing my mud puddle analogy is difficult, but stay with me.

I’ve talked about how you interact with the mud puddle, but what about following someone about to approach the mud puddle? As you’re walking behind someone, you see the mud puddle and recognize it’s deep. You know this because of your experience with the mud puddle yesterday. When the person is about to step in, you call them to make them aware. They appreciate your warning and ask if you know how to get around it. You share your experience with the puddle, allowing the person to navigate the situation. In a sense, you blessed them as God blessed you.

The analogy was rough, but the idea is still the same. God wants us to care for those that are in need at all times. It’s about being aware of your surroundings, watching for those who look like they’re struggling, and asking. Notice that I didn’t say “and helping.” God doesn’t force his help on us but is available when we’re ready to ask for it. People might find our eagerness for help as pushy, mean, and arrogant because we assume things about their situation. If we approach someone and ask if they’re okay or need help, it is a much kinder way of handling it. It doesn’t assume anything about their situation and allows them to control it. It also opens the door for conversation to understand their story and situation.

God’s care for those who are weak, poor, and in need often allows them to share their story with someone who can help them, whether by God or someone like you and me. Let’s remember what Psalm 118:5 talked about. In our time of distress, we can talk to God. We can share what’s going on with him and have faith that a solution will be found. Why? God answers our prayers and sets us free from the distress and trouble we find ourselves in.

Let’s talk about the fearlessness we can carry with having God in our corner.

Job 19:25-27

25        “But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last.

26        And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God!”

27        I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought!

At the core of the book of Job lies Job’s affirmation of confidence. We know that Job referred to God as a redeemer. In ancient Israel, a redeemer was a family member who bought a slave’s way to freedom or cared for a widow. This was how he viewed God, given his circumstances. Had he known about the conversations between God and Satan, could this have changed? Who knows? I don’t think it would’ve mattered due to his tremendous faith in God. Laying there on the brink of death and his body withering away, he still expected to physically see God. That’s some determination because this wasn’t something anyone else had accomplished. No one recorded in the Old Testament had ever physically seen God. Some saw the back of God’s head, but that was it.

It’s also good to remember that the well-developed doctrine of the resurrection wasn’t around when Job was written. It’s believed that Job was written by Moses, placing this in 1,500-1,000 BC. Job would’ve struggled with the concept that God was presently against him, yet he firmly believed that, in the end, God was on his side. This belief was so strong that Job became one of the first to talk about the resurrection of the body. I’ve often heard and said that other people, and myself at times, have the “patience of Job” or the “strength of Job.” Job is an excellent story of faith and recognizing that God is good. Job lost everything from possessions to family to his own health, and yet never waived in his faith that God is good and will see him through to the end. He held that so fervently that Job believed he would physically see God before he died. I don’t know what the Old Testament belief in eternality was like, but holding faith like that is rare today. It leads to a question/challenge for you and me: Where is your faith right now? Are you putting your faith in fear or your Heavenly Father?

Psalm 118:6 is so powerful that it’s quoted by the unknown author of Hebrews.

Hebrews 13:5-6

5          Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”

6          So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?”

This passage is about learning to live with less. Our goal is to feel content with what we have currently instead of fearing what we feel we’re missing. This almost feels like a FOMO cure, doesn’t it? Have you felt FOMO before? Do you know what FOMO is?

FOMO is an acronym that means Fear Of Missing Out. It’s this feeling like you’re missing out on life and committing to doing or buying things because you see other’s experiences with them and yearn for that. We’re not called as Christians to live in this fear. We use the life circumstances that WOULD progress our lives as luxuries instead of necessities. An excellent example of this in my life is driving. As of writing this, I don’t drive. I don’t have a standard driver’s license. I’ve never taken a driving test. The thought of driving a motor vehicle terrifies me through all of the what-ifs, decision-making opportunities, and potential threats, damages, and injuries (including death) that could happen. I am an anxious passenger.

I’ve attempted to feel this type of contentment in not driving because it’s not a necessity for me. My job, church, and most stores I visit regularly are all within walking distance. My doctor’s office is accessible by taking the city bus. There’s no NEED to drive, right? Wrong. It’s not a luxury for the point in my life I am in. It’s a necessity. It’s holding me back from potential job opportunities. It’s holding me back from growing my social circle. It’s holding me back from the feeling of freedom. Driving isn’t FOMO for the luxuries of life. It’s FOMO from the changes needed to live a life God wants for me. I’m living in fear with this situation, but God protects me. God is still with me in the fear of sitting in the driver’s seat (and passenger seat). God is still with me when the engine is turned on. God is still with me when the gear shifts from P to D/R. You get what I’m getting at.

I was in a moped accident years ago. I crashed my bike, turning into my work’s drive away because I was going too fast. I hit the telephone pole head-on, probably going 25-30mph. It was scary. I was in the hospital overnight, out of school/work for a couple weeks, and had physical therapy. Yet, I walked away with a MINOR concussion (thank you to ALL helmet-makers) and a SLIGHT fracture of my ankle. I recognize that it could have been a WHOLE lot worse, but God. I recognize that it could’ve been my demise, but God. I recognize that I made dumb decisions, but God walked with me through it all while I walked with fear. Are you putting your faith in fear or your Heavenly Father?

Give away out of your abundance rather than accumulating more. Relish what you have rather than resenting what you’re missing. Give away out of your abundance. If you don’t have abundance, what do you do? You could reflect on what you claim as your needs and see if they’re needs. I need my commercial-free Spotify and YouTube because I use these products often. I don’t actually need them, but I prefer them. I don’t actually need them, but I like them. I don’t actually need them, but I want them. If you reflect on what you determine as your needs, you’ll find something you don’t need and create your overabundance.  

I use money as the easy link to overabundance. It could be clothes that don’t fit you anymore that you can give to someone who needs it. It could be the food you cook that you send to your neighbor because if you keep it, it’ll get thrown out. It could be time because your grandma needs someone to mow her lawn; otherwise, she’ll be fined. It’s not about money (I know we live in a capitalistic society). It’s about what we do with our excess.

Some Christians who gain wealth may be saying by their actions that God can’t take care of them. Most likely, they believe God won’t care for them in the way they want God to. Whether we feel rich or poor, anxiety and insecurity can lead to a love of money and a lack of compassion for others. It doesn’t matter how much money we have. Anxiety and insecurity can lead to our love of money and ego. I compare this to our social media presence. Many popular influencers flaunt their wealth on social media platforms as snapshots of their life. We who see that think they are consistently on adventures, getting new things, or attending fancy events regularly. This can cause us to compare our lives with theirs and feel insecure, depressed, and anxious because we are not where they are. Our standard of living should not be compared to the world’s most popular influencers but to God, who can meet all our needs and fill the voids created by our discontentment. What we should do more of is share our gratitude to God for what we have and what he provides. Our things around us don’t come with us when we enter heaven, so let’s make sure we don’t get as attached to them as we are to God.

Today, I talked about fear vs. faith. I discussed how we can go to God in all times of trouble and have faith the answers will come and protection will be given. I looked at how we can live in that faith and not be guided through our fear. Let’s pray.

Father God, thank you for the fearlessness we can walk in this scary world. We know that you are the Almighty Fortress that provides a place of safety for us in times of trouble. Help us lean on your protection through faith and live according to that faith. It’s in your name, we pray. Amen.