Of Whom Shall I Be Afraid

¹ A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son. O LORD, how my adversaries have increased! Many are rising up against me. ² Many are saying of my soul, "There is no deliverance for him in God." Selah. ³ But You, O LORD, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head. ⁴ I was crying to the LORD with my voice, And He answered me from His holy mountain. Selah. ⁵ I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustains me. ⁶ I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people Who have set themselves against me round about. ⁷ Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God! For You have smitten all my enemies on the cheek; You have shattered the teeth of the wicked. ⁸ Salvation belongs to the LORD; Your blessing be upon Your people! Selah (Psalm 3).

For literally hundreds of years American Christians have lived in relative comfort. I mean by that primarily religious comfort. We weren't anticipating any real oppression. Ours was either a Christian country or was still operating on the momentum of that Christian beginning. Things have been good.

If you're paying attention, however, I think that it is obvious that we should expect this level of religious freedom and lack of persecution would be naive. In human relations there is a spectrum of "insultability", a line on which groups fall that ranges from "never ever say anything negative about these" to "you'll probably be congratulated for attacking these". Barely 50 years ago Christians were in the former. Today we're in the latter. We've run the entire spectrum in a generation. Islam, homosexuals, women, those are in the "untouchable" categories now, but Christians are fair game. (As evidence, I saw only three minutes of the Academy Awards this year -- not three consecutive minutes -- and in that time there were three anti-Christian jokes made. Come on. Get some new material.)

I am not, however, suggesting fear or hopelessness. I'm suggesting a biblical worldview. I'm suggesting David's perspective when he was running from his own son. Things are getting worse. It looks painful. It looks bad. We may see real persecution in the coming years and we may have "ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me". The wicked will rise (more than they already have) and we will have lots of enemies. But remember: "You, O LORD, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head." Remember: "the LORD sustains me." Never, ever forget: "Salvation belongs to the LORD." As Paul wrote, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Rom 8:31). "In all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us" (Rom 8:37).

Tell me again what we need to fear? With a biblical worldview and a relationship with God, nothing at all. "The LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness" (Lam 3:22-23). I'm not counting on the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, or a crack legal team. I'm counting on a relationship with my God that makes the trials of this life trivial in view of the surpassing value of knowing Him.