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 the wicked advance against me
    to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes
    who will stumble and fall.
Though an army besiege me,
    my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
    even then I will be confident.

One thing I ask from the Lord,
    this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord.

Psalm 27:1-4

Who should you fear, not other people, not circumstance, but God alone.

When enemies rise and false witnesses slander you, fear not, God has won the victory, already. He is King, boss, master.

It sounds a bit much all the talk of slander and enemies, we don’t really see that in Australia do we?

Well, it’s not as blatant. The devil uses subtle means here, when someone has a “good natured” laugh at you because you believe in a risen saviour, that’s a subtle form of persecution. True, it’s not a beating or being dragged before a court. But the consequences of long-term sustained low level word war, if were not careful is a rising fear of man, and his opinions.

See words have power, even false words. But we remain in the power of God’s word, hold on to his truth, we can stand firm against slander and malicious lies.  

One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.

We know from the New Testament that this prayer is answered in Jesus, we can dwell with God all the days of our lives, and all the days of our lives are forever in heaven.

In the day of trouble he will keep me safe.

In Christ we have a living hope that gives us a right perspective on the trials of this life. In Christ we have a saviour who is also King and Judge.

So do you fear man? Or do you revere Christ as Lord in your heart?

Grow Deeper

Read Daniel 6.

In chapter 6, there is a change of king, a change of kingdom. The Medes and Persians have replaced the Babylonians as the world superpower. In what ways have the problems for Daniel not really changed?

Why is Daniel persecuted? Why do the men have to resort to underhanded methods to persecute Daniel?

What would it mean for you to have the same reputation as Daniel? To be so reliable and trustworthy in your relationships?

When Daniel is thrown into the lions’ den, why is he saved? What is the response of the king to God’s act of salvation?

How can you share the great salvation we have through Jesus so that your friends and family have the same reaction as the king?

Prayer

Lord Jesus thank you that you have paid the debt of my sin on the cross.

Thank you for the living hope I have in you.

Teach me your ways, and open my heart to your truth, so that I may rightly fear you, revere you, love you as lord of my heart.

In doing so I can then love people appropriately, holding out the hope I have, even in the face of slander, or persecution.