“The Lord is my light and my salvation — whom should I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life — whom should I dread? When evildoers came against me to devour my flesh, my foes and my enemies stumbled and fell. Though an army deploys against me, my heart will not be afraid; though a war breaks out against me, I will still be confident. I have asked one thing from the Lord; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the Lord and seeking him in his temple. ”
As we go through life, we encounter many kinds of challenges. Some are minor annoyances, but others can be a matter of life or death. In some of our challenges we are able to control the outcome, but some are totally out of our control. How we respond to these challenges has a profound influence on our wellbeing, our influence on others and even the outcome.
In the life of David, there were two periods of time when he was literally running for his life: 1) before he took the throne in the time of King Saul, and 2) years later when his son Absalom tried to dethrone him. We are not told when this Psalm was written, but the truth of it applies to both situations where fear, discouragement and despair could have easily dominated his mind completely.
In this passage David speaks of three progressively difficult obstacles:
- Evildoers — individuals who come against you
- An army — groups of people who act with a collective purpose of doing you harm
- A war — systems and organizations coming at you from multiple fronts, over which you have little or no control
No matter what the size of the obstacle, David says that he will not fear. As a matter of fact he even posed the questions of “…whom shall I fear? …who shall I dread?”
In verse 4 he identifies the “key” to the victory over his opponents — his priority, his primary focus, his mindset, his heartfelt desire during these times: to be in the presence of the Lord.
He even identifies this “key” as the one thing that he asks of the Lord and seeks after. Now David, like us, had periods where despair dominated his thinking and emotions, but eventually his heart for the Lord unlocked a different mindset.
During your seasons of trials, does your heart stay in the “closet” of despair? Does your mind keep running to the “attic” of negative thoughts, where you look for the worst case scenario? Has the Lord become “locked in” as an afterthought instead of your first thought?
David prepared his mind for the challenges ahead of him. You need to do the same. The “key” prepares you for whatever lies ahead. The “key” opens the door to peace:
“You will keep the mind that is dependent on you in perfect peace, for it is trusting in you.”
Isaiah 26:3
We are not promised a specific outcome to our situations, or a specific timing for the Lord to act. But the awareness of and desire for His presence prepares you for any and all trials, whether evildoers, armies or wars.
I leave you with words of encouragement to meditate upon which have always put my mind and heart back on the right track:
“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand. ”
Isaiah 41:10
100 Days To A Better Life Through Proverbs 
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