\u201cFight the good fight of faith\u201d (1 Timothy 6:12).<\/p>\n
Paul tells Timothy: Fight the good fight to believe that what God says is true. Fight to believe that God is Who He says He is, that Jesus became man, that Jesus died for your sin, that He reigns now, that He will return and bring in the new heavens and the new earth.<\/p>\n
This is a fight, isn\u2019t it? And not only for Timothy. For you and me also.<\/p>\n
The Greek word translated \u201cfight\u201d is an athletic term, particularly used of wrestlers. Wrestling a powerful opponent is difficult; he uses every ounce of energy to defeat you. You have to exert a supreme effort to win the contest.<\/p>\n
In these days of the coronavirus, we must fight this fight of faith. We look around and see fear, even panic; we see starkly different forecasts for what lies ahead; we see political leaders guessing about the best way forward; we see many around us lose their job, lose all their income; we see or hear of others who are horribly sick, isolated, connected to a ventilator, with friends and family forbidden to visit.<\/p>\n
How do we believe in God, how do we trust Jesus, when around the world we see pain, chaos, and hardship?<\/p>\n
David shows us how to fight that fight of faith in Psalm 27.<\/p>\n
In the first half of this psalm, David\u2019s life is going well:<\/p>\n
When our life is going well, we can be tempted to relax in our pursuit of God. It\u2019s easy to begin to coast.<\/p>\n
But David doesn\u2019t do that. On the contrary, he continues to seek to know God better, to worship Him more fully \u2013 and in these ways he prepares for the inevitable future battle.<\/p>\n
That battle comes in the second half of the psalm. Enemies attack – but David is prepared. He fights the good fight of faith.<\/p>\n
You and I need these lessons in the midst of this pandemic \u2013 but we also need these lessons in the good times that will come again. We will need to use those coming times of peace, when we\u2019re on the mountain tops of our life with God, so that when the battle comes again, we\u2019re equipped. We\u2019re ready. We\u2019re strong in the Lord.<\/p>\n
Gathering Strength for the Fight of Faith<\/strong><\/p>\n The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? Note David\u2019s strong focus on Who God is. <\/em>He uses three metaphors in verse 1 to remind Himself of God\u2019s character:<\/p>\n First: God is Light. <\/em><\/p>\n Imagine you are walking in a strange place on a moonless night. There are no electric lights anywhere. You have no flashlight, and your cell phone battery is dead. You can see nothing around you. You don\u2019t know what danger might lie ahead.<\/p>\n But in that darkness, God shines! <\/em>He is light! <\/em>He shines into the darkness of our ignorance; He shines into the darkness of evil.<\/p>\n Second: God is our Salvation. <\/em><\/p>\n He not only lets us see <\/em>the danger we were blind to; He delivers <\/em>us from evil. And that deliverance includes not only the attacks by evil forces from outside us, but also the evil inside <\/em>us.<\/p>\n Third: God is our Stronghold. <\/em><\/p>\n He is our strong tower. In Him, we are protected from every evil attack. His walls are unassailable.<\/p>\n So we need not fear.<\/p>\n David elaborates on these points in verse 2 and 3. Even when enemies try to \u201ceat up [his] flesh,\u201d to completely destroy him, they <\/em>are the ones who fall. Even if overwhelming numbers attack him, David is confident. In what? Not in himself! Rather, he is confident in His light, His salvation, His stronghold \u2013 God Himself.<\/p>\n So in these first three verses, David highlights the benefits God gives him.<\/p>\n But beginning in verse 4, he tells us he worships God not primarily for benefits; rather, he worships God for Who He is:<\/p>\n One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple. (Psalm 27:4)<\/p>\n David asks for one thing. <\/em>Now, David does ask for other things, even in this psalm. But this, <\/em>says David, is the center. This is the key. This is the foundation. This is the greatest good \u2013 better than protection, better than healing, better than long life, better than fame and riches and success.<\/p>\n If we are to successfully fight the good fight of faith, we must seek this one thing also: To desire God. To treasure Jesus above all the world has to offer.<\/p>\n If instead we worship God first and foremost for what he does<\/em> for us, what will we do when those benefits seem to disappear? What will we do when He seems to hide His face? What will we do in pandemics and tsunamis and wars and disasters? We won\u2019t be like Jesus who \u201cfor the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame\u201d (Hebrews 12:2).<\/p>\n So David seeks<\/em> God. He seeks to be able to worship God always. He seeks to see His beauty \u2013 how? Via His revelation of Himself in the worship He has ordained in His house.<\/p>\n For us, what is the equivalent? Seeking to see God\u2019s beauty in the worship as He has ordained in our era: through the preaching of Word, the Lord\u2019s Supper, baptism, prayer, reading, and singing.<\/p>\n Do you think of worship in those terms? Not as a duty to be performed. Not as an opportunity to be entertained. But as an offered privilege of gazing upon the beauty of the Lord, seeing Him better, deepening your love for Him, your delight in Who He is.<\/p>\n Then David adds: \u201cTo inquire in his temple.\u201d The Hebrew verb can be translated in different ways; the NIV renders this word, \u201cseek,\u201d in which case this phrase reinforces the idea of seeking His face. But \u201cinquire\u201d could mean asking: \u201cAm I really right before you, Lord? Am I walking in your truth? That is how I want to live, so please open up to me what is displeasing to You.\u201d<\/p>\n So David\u2019s primary<\/em> desire is to see God for Who He is by worshiping in the ordained way, and for God to open up to him anything displeasing in himself, so that he can walk in His light.<\/p>\n May that be your primary desire also.<\/p>\n Then, having seen God for Who He is, what is David confident He will do?<\/p>\n For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; David reiterates that God is his stronghold and salvation, protecting him. But he goes beyond those earlier themes. Now, his head is lifted high above his enemies in their presence <\/em>\u2013 so that they might see that God truly loves him. This leads to David\u2019s great expression of joy.<\/p>\n Thus, in this time of experiencing closeness to God, on this mountain top, David prepares himself for the inevitable valley. He roots out sin, he learns more of God\u2019s character, he cultivates delight in worshiping with God\u2019s people.<\/p>\n Do you live this way in times of victory? When all seems at peace, do you prepare yourself for the fight? Or do you relax \u2013 thinking the time of fighting is over?<\/p>\n The Fight of Faith in the Valley<\/strong><\/p>\n We see a stark change of mood in verse 7. Suddenly David is no longer on a mountain top. He struggles:<\/p>\n Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me! Now the battle is engaged. David cries out for an answer from God.<\/p>\n He returns to the idea of seeking God\u2019s face, what he said was his one, primary desire. But now he has to fight to keep that one desire central. Seemingly more pressing matters try to divert his attention. But David commits himself: \u201cI seek Your face. I remember Who You are. I delight in You!\u201d<\/p>\n But the struggle doesn\u2019t end when he makes that commitment. He must plead in verse 9: \u201cDon\u2019t hide your face from me! I want to gaze on your beauty all the days of my life \u2013 and I was doing that! But now it appears as if you are hiding, as if you are angry, turning me away. You have been my help in the past \u2013 don\u2019t throw me away like trash! You are my light, my salvation \u2013 don\u2019t abandon me!\u201d<\/p>\n Does this battle sound familiar? To all appearances, God is not <\/em>his salvation, does not <\/em>love him. And so David cries out to God in his pain \u2013 as he does in so many psalms.<\/p>\n So I say again what bears repeating: Don\u2019t be reluctant to cry out to God when you<\/em> are in pain. Even if you don\u2019t have words to say \u2013 be confident that the Holy Spirit intercedes with \u201cgroanings too deep for words\u201d (Romans 8:26).<\/p>\n Note how <\/em>David cries out: He calls on God to do what He has promised; <\/em>He asks God to act in accord with His revealed character. <\/em>We see this in verses ten to thirteen, as David lives out four steps in the good fight of faith:<\/p>\n First step<\/u>: Remember the depth of God\u2019s covenant commitment to His people.<\/p>\n For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the LORD will take me in. (Psalm 27:10)<\/p>\n The idea is even if <\/em>my own parents could forsake me, God will welcome me. Now, realize: David feels<\/em> as if God might cast him off. But he fights against that perception by remembering God\u2019s revelation of Himself: He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love forever and ever. He promises never to leave or forsake His people. We today can also hold to promises unavailable to David: \u201cHe who began a good work in you will bring it to completion\u201d (Philippians 1:6); nothing \u201cwill separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord\u201d (Romans 8:39).<\/p>\n Second step<\/u>: Ask God to teach and lead<\/p>\n Teach me your way, O LORD, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies. (Psalm 27:11)<\/p>\n While on the mountain top, David was learning more of Who God is. Now, in the valley, he needs to apply that knowledge and <\/em>to continue to learn, to continue to be led in His paths. In tough times, Satan tries to convince us that God\u2019s path is the path not to life but to missing out on life \u2013 and so David asks God, \u201cGuide me, direct me on Your <\/em>road.\u201d<\/p>\n Third step<\/u>: Pray for protection<\/p>\n Here for the first time we hear of what prompted David\u2019s fear:<\/p>\n Give me not up to the will of my adversaries; We often start with that prayer for protection, skipping over the first two steps David takes. By all means we should <\/em>pray that God would protect us from the virus, from His enemies, and all the other dangers we face. But we, like David, must realize that we need to see God <\/em>more than we need God\u2019s protection. We need to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus \u2013 He is the pioneer and finisher of our faith. When we are focused on Him, then we, like Him, can endure the trial, scorning its shame, for the joy set before us (Hebrews 12:2).<\/p>\n Fourth step<\/u>: \u00a0Believe His promises<\/p>\n I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! (Psalm 27:13)<\/p>\n On the mountain peak, when God seemed close, David desired to gaze upon His beauty. Now, in the valley, he believes<\/em>, he has faith, <\/em>that he will be able once again to look upon His beauty, even though it seems as if God has abandoned him.<\/p>\n This is the ultimate good fight of faith \u2013 to believe in the hardest times that you will indeed see God once again, as He has promised. And He always keeps His promises.<\/p>\n Finally, David concludes by drawing lessons from his personal experience for all of God\u2019s people of all time:<\/p>\n Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD! (Psalm 27:14)<\/p>\n \u201cWait\u201d does not mean sit around and check Facebook while hoping that God might act. Rather, the word translated \u201cwait\u201d connotes an eager expectation, a confidence that God will indeed act. So David says, \u201cWait with eager expectation for the God who is your light, your salvation, and your stronghold to act. Strongly depend on Him, thoroughly rely on Him; be courageous enough to have persistent confidence in Him. Expect Him to act, especially in every dark valley.\u201d<\/p>\n Conclusion <\/strong><\/p>\n As we face the valley of the coronavirus, as we encounter other trials at this same time, ask yourself if you are feeling frantic: Did you fail to equip yourself for this battle when times were good? Unlike David, did you coast through those good times?<\/p>\n If so, don\u2019t say, \u201cI blew it! Now I can\u2019t <\/em>seek God\u2019s face! I can\u2019t<\/em> fight the good fight of faith!\u201d<\/p>\n Instead, repent. Turn. \u201cA broken and contrite heart He will not despise\u201d (Psalm 51:17). Jesus is the propitiation for our sins \u2013 including the sin of failing to prepare for the valley. In Him, you are forgiven. So fight the fight to believe now<\/em> \u2013 and commit yourself in those future times on the mountain top to prepare for the inevitable valleys ahead.<\/p>\n The weeks ahead will be difficult. Day after day the number of confirmed cases will rise. The death toll will expand. Friend and loved ones may well get the virus.<\/p>\n But God\u2019s promises are exactly what we need in such times.<\/p>\n And the most important promise is that through Jesus we can see Him. We can know Him. We can be His beloved child.<\/p>\n So don\u2019t lose focus! Go hard after God: In reading, in worship, in song, in learning who He is, in seeking His face. Cry out to Him on the basis of Jesus\u2019 work, not your own. Wait for Him with eager expectation. Trust His promises.<\/p>\n Remember: He never promises that He will make life easy. When life does seem easy \u2013 that\u2019s a mountain peak He has graciously given to help you prepare for the next valley.<\/p>\n His promise is: \u201cI\u2019m worthy of your trust. I\u2019ve proved that again and again, in the history of Israel, in the history of the church, in your own life.\u201d<\/p>\n So in the year of the coronavirus, fight the good fight of faith. Fight to believe.<\/p>\n And thus bring glory and honor to the One who brought you out of darkness into His marvelous light.<\/p>\n
\nThe LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
\n<\/sup>When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes,
\nit is they who stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me,
\nmy heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. (Psalm 27:1-3)<\/p>\n
\nhe will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.
\n<\/sup>And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me,
\nand I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy;
\nI will sing and make melody to the LORD. (Psalm 27:5-6)<\/p>\n
\n<\/sup>You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, LORD, do I seek.”
\n<\/sup>Hide not your face from me. Turn not your servant away in anger,
\nO you who have been my help.
\nCast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation! (Psalm 27:7-9)<\/p>\n
\nfor false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence. (Psalm 27:12)<\/p>\n