Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled: Psalm 112-Supplication through the Scriptures

Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled 

Psalm 112

The only cure for fear is for the eye to remain steadfastly fixed on the Lord. To be occupied with our circumstances and surroundings is fatal to our peace.
A.W. Pink 

Fear. None of us are immune to this emotion. We have all felt it at times in our lives, sometimes legitimately when we’ve been in danger. Other times, fear has proved to be a foolish waste of time. Some people seem to lack a fear over anything. Others are fearful most of the time. Most of us live somewhere in between, not completely consumed with fear but occupied too often with anxious thoughts. “While fear is a normal emotional response to life in a fallen world, when it grips our heart, we turn our gaze away from God and to the circumstances around us. We focus on the problem instead of the One who rules over all things. We place our trust not in God to help and rescue us but in things, methods, or even ourselves. This is idolatry” (Holy Fear, Cristina Fox). Psalm 112 tells us that the one who fears the Lord is blessed and “is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD” (1,7). His fear of the Lord enables him to fear nothing else. “His heart is steady, he will not be afraid” (112:8). Keeping our gaze on our sovereign God and having a deep reverence and awe for Him helps us in our fight against all our other fears.

Is it possible to live unafraid in a world fraught with danger, physical and spiritual? Perhaps the answer lies not in the absence or presence of fear, for certainly in this world we will face fearful things, but perhaps the answer lies in our response to the things that would frighten us. When fear creeps in, where do we turn? 

God knows how often we are tempted to be anxious or afraid. He made us and understands our frailties and weaknesses. He knows we have a tendency to be anxious and fearful about many things. We occupy our minds far too long with “what ifs,” about the past and the future. We have a very finite and limited view of God, ourselves, our circumstances, and our future. “The revolving of these and other considerations in our thoughts, and the mixing of our own unbelief with them, creates a world of fear—even in good people. This continues until we resign everything to God, setting our faith upon His promises, which assure us of His sanctification of our troubles (Rom. 8: 28), His presence with us in our troubles (Ps. 92: 15), His moderation of our troubles to a degree we can endure (Isa. 26: 8), and His final deliverance of us from our troubles (Rev. 7: 17). In this way, we rescue our hearts from our fear and compose them to a quiet and sweet satisfaction in the wise and holy pleasure of our God” (Flavel, Triumphing Over Sinful Fear). God has perfect and full knowledge of Himself, us, our circumstances, and our future. He sovereignly rules and orchestrates everything. “I believe that every particle of dust that dances in the sunbeam does not move an atom more or less than God wishes” (Spurgeon). The God who spoke the entire universe into existence and upholds it now with His powerful word and even directs every particle of dust in a sunbeam is the God who promises to sustain us and bring us safely to His heavenly kingdom. And all our “what ifs” and concerns about our lives and our loved ones are held safely in His wise and tender hands. When we are presented with an opportunity for fearfulness or faith, the truth we set our mind on will help steer us in the right direction. Flavel gave four good promises we can meditate on when fear rises: 1) God sanctifies our troubles, working all things together for our good (Romans 8:28), 2) the Lord Himself is with us in our darkest valleys (Psalm 23:4), 3) He moderates our trouble in order that we may bear up under it, 4) He will give us final deliverance from every fear and every reason for sorrow (Revelation 7:17). This is why the psalmist can confidently say that the one who fears the Lord, who reveres Him because he knows his Father’s kind heart, is blessed, will never be moved, has a firm heart, and trusts the Lord which causes him to not be afraid (Psalm 112:1,6-7). 

The psalmist continues to show how a man can live without fear. “His heart is steady” (112:8), which means to be upheld and sustained. What comfort and assurance! Almighty God Himself upholds us. He will sustain and support us in times of prosperity and times when there is bad news or evil tidings. His grace will be found sufficient for every breath of this life. When we are tempted to be fearful and to anxiously think about the future, we can remind ourselves that though there will most likely be trouble of some kind, God’s omnipotent hand, sufficient grace, sustaining strength, and abundant comfort will be there to uphold us. There will be light that dawns for us in the darkness (Psalm 112:4). 

Finally, notice what the psalmist says about the one who fears the Lord: he is not afraid and he will not be afraid (112:7-8). Present and future fearlessness. With God as our hope and trust we can “do what is right without being frightened by any fear” (1 Peter 3:5-6, NASB). To live peacefully and unafraid will not just happen. We will not be able to solve this struggle with fear in one moment and never be fearful again. It will be a battle for the remainder of our days. But we can, by God’s strength and grace, become more seasoned warriors. We can learn to fight better and build our spiritual muscles. We can train the eyes of our heart to quickly look to the Lord. We can build an arsenal of weapons in our soul to battle fear whenever it confronts us. We have to learn to reframe the way we think and speak about the things that give rise to fear. We can take heart knowing that the battle we fight has already been won by Christ. We are in Him. And in this battle against fear we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13). 

Let’s pray through Psalm 112 bringing our fears to the Lord.

Light dawns in the darkness

112:1-6 Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments! His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous. It is well with the man who deals generously and lends; who conducts his affairs with justice. For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever. 
Lord, I pray:
▫️Work in my heart to fear You, to be in awe of who You are and the wonders You work on behalf of Your people. Give me a heart that delights in Your commandments and delights to do Your will. Give me such a high view of You that it diminishes the fears I am confronted with daily. When I start to feel fear about ______ remind me to trust Your sovereign hand that is working even this for my good.
▫️Help me to be an example to those around me of trusting You even in situations that could cause me to be anxious. May others be blessed and strengthened as they see me put my trust in You and continue to hope in You. Let my children see that You are trustworthy and that they too can rely on You.
▫️Thank You for the imputed righteousness of Christ that makes me blameless and upright before You. You said, “Light shines in the darkness for the upright” (Psalm 112:4). When I am feeling fearful in the darkness of my circumstances, be a light to me (Micah 7:8) and by Your Spirit bring to my mind the truth from Your word that I need to meditate on.
▫️The situation that is tempting me to be fearful is _____. As I walk through this time help me to be gracious, merciful, righteous, and deal generously with others. Use this situation and my battle against fear in my life to make me more tender to others’ sufferings, more merciful to others’ faults and frailties, and more purposeful in living to please You in all things. 
▫️Strengthen my heart so that I will not be moved. When I feel afraid, turn my eyes to You. Help me to see You as greater than all my fears. Help me not to forfeit my peace by being occupied with my circumstances and situation. Be my helper and the sustainer of my soul (Psalm 54:4). 

His heart is firm, trusting, and steady

112:7-10 He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries. He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn is exalted in honor. The wicked man sees it and is angry; he gnashes his teeth and melts away; the desire of the wicked will perish!
Lord, I pray:
▫️I want to be unafraid. I want to have a firm, steadfast heart that trusts You. Build me up and strengthen my spiritual muscles. When I am fearful regarding ______, help me to recognize it and take captive my anxious thoughts and submit them to Christ. Help me not to be discouraged when I struggle to not be fearful. When I stumble or fall, help me to get back up again and continue to fight the good fight of faith. 
▫️My heart would be fixed in solid reliance upon God, so that a change in my circumstances but slightly affects me because faith has made me firm and steadfast; and therefore if the worst should come to the worst, I would remain quiet and patient, waiting for Your salvation (Spurgeon). 
▫️You would uphold and sustain me when I am fearful and anxious about _____; and in Your upholding strength I would not be afraid. I would remember that You are sovereign and never caught off guard by the circumstances of my life. You not only know the circumstances of my life, but You purposed them to take place and rule over them. Nothing happens in my life outside of Your control. I am comforted knowing that even those things that catch me by surprise are not a surprise to You (Cristina Fox). 
▫️Be my refuge and strength, my very present help in time of trouble so that I do not need to be afraid (Psalm 46:1-2). Thank You that You are my stronghold and refuge to Whom I may continually come. 

‭‭May the Lord do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, for His glory and our good. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

‭‭Scripture quotations are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All right reserved.


Photo credit to daesign

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