Confidence in the Face of Uncertainty
Psalm 27: 1-3 The L ord is my light and my salvation--so why should I be afraid? The L ord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? When evil people come to devour me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident. (NLT)
Let not your heart be troubled. That was what Jesus once told His disciples. The sad truth is we often can allow our hearts to be troubled despite the assurances given to us directly by God Himself. The Christian walk is never promised to be an easy one but so many of us miss out on some of the greatest benefits, whether it be from a lack of faith or the world seeming larger in our lives than it ought to be. That is what Jesus was trying to convey to us when He assured His disciples about the problems they would face:
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33
Sometimes we overlook the "in me" portion of this Scripture. We have not overcome the world beloved Jesus did. We have not overcome our problems Jesus did. It is only in Jesus and through Jesus that we share in the overcoming nature of Christ. But we can lose our peace so easily in this world. Forces gather against us or things do not go our way, the way we have pre-determined they should, and our peace goes right out the window. We do not take advantage of the glorious promises God has made us. We reflect to our circumstances instead of to Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith. We reflect to our feelings, our disappointments, or our insecurities instead of to our Savior! Even worse, we reflect to the lies the enemy whispers into our ears instead of to the promises of Almighty God. We look in ourselves and find no peace.
Psalm 27 starts with some of the greatest theology we need to wrap our minds around. Verse one starts with some reminders about who God needs to be in our lives. First, God is our light. One of the definitions listed in the dictionary for light says, "An illuminating agent or source as in the sun, a lamp, or a beacon." Jesus is the illuminating agent of our lives beloved. And what does light do? It penetrates the darkness. Without Christ, we are walking blindly through the darkness of the world.
While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." John 9: 5
Light shows us the way to go. It provides direction. That is the "beacon" portion of the definition. A boat lost at sea will look to a lighthouse to provide the direction to safe harbors. That is what Jesus does in our lives. When we are facing the storms that come against us. When the waves are crashing over us, seemingly to drown us, it is the light of Christ that provides us with the direction we need to make it to safer harbors.
