Psalm 27: 1-3

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
² When the wicked came against me
To eat up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell.
³ Though an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise against me,
In this I will be confident.

This chapter speaks for itself! It shows us what it means to know our creator. When David expressed such unwavering faith (in Psalm 27), it was not about his ability. It was about his faith in God. The faith that came out of a intimate relationship with God.

This is the same David who, as young boy, slayed a giant- with a rock and a sling shot. If anyone knows about faith- it’s him.

Oh to be as brave as David.

What we often forget is that the same God who performed those miracles, are alive today- and he is still in the business of showing up! Not being fearful, is about realizing that we serve a mighty God!

Now growing up I was known as the scary kid. At one point I slept in the same bed with one of my sister. I would not go to bed, until she was ready- no matter how sleepy I was. And it was not enough for me to be in same bed, I buried myself underneath blankets and my sister. Sweating bullets, i didnt budge. I was so  afraid!  Definitely not giant slaying material.

But there were those times- the times that I called upon the name of the Lord God, and he showed himself strong and fearless, despite me.

I remember once when I was about 19 years old, I worked as a customer service representative. There was one coworker who stood about 5’11” to about 6′ tall and pretty sturdy. We will call this girl G.G. for Goliath Girl. Me? I stood about 5’5″ tall and pretty scrawny. We will call me- well you know what to call me.

G.G. and I started off as friendly coworkers. She would tell me her problems and I would give her advice. Well, I was a little naïve- I thought I could give people advice and fix their problems.

As time went on, G.G became more of an enemy. She was determined to eat me for dinner- so to speak! It progressed to more like bullying. She even asked me to meet her at a park, so she could beat me up. I had a mouth to defend myself, but no muscle. So…no way was I going to take her up on that offer.

I could tell you of many more examples, but there is not enough time. I wrote a letter to my supervisor. Eh- not much happened. G.G. was a top seller and that’s what mattered.

It got to a point – I hated going to work!

One Sunday in particular, I woke up and I was crying. We were getting ready for church and all I could think about was having to face G.G. the next day. She was mean *shudder*, and was able to get everyone to join in on her antics. If she said I did something, people began echoing her lies. I would walk the aisle and she would call me names. Uh- it was bad!

Back to Sunday. I remember that Sunday morning, as I expressed my anxiety, my sister told me to just pray and not worry. She offered me more advice, but they fell on deaf ears. All I could focus on was G.G. and whatever creative way she planned on tormenting me.

God had apparently heard my cries. He prepared a special Sunday service for me. The message was tailored to my situation. God was telling me- He is mighty.  I could hear him repeating the question asked in Jeremiah 32:27: Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh, is there any thing too hard for me?

This particular Sunday we had an extra session of praise. We began singing  songs that said, “God will send deliverance to your home, work…” I remember them repeating two songs in particular that focused of God’s ability to protect and deliver.

As we danced and sang, I sang and prayed. I moved to/from praise and prayer.  “God, please help me! I cannot take it anymore. Please do what you feel is right.” I remember thinking: ‘God remove her.’ But guilt overtook me, and I said: “I am not saying fire her, just help me- do something.” In the moment of prayer, I felt an inexplicable calm. I heard an inner voice that said, “Its ok. I’ll take care of it”

I started to cry. I cried out loud. The type of crying that cause your body to shake. My sister put her hand and on back and began to rub it. “It’s ok” she said, attempting to console me. “No, no- you don’t get it. I am crying because I am happy. God told me he took care of it.”

 

Monday morning, I arrived at work a little anxious. How had God planned on handling the situation?  I wondered how she would treat me. I must admit that my fear caused me to doubt. There seemed to be a loud whisper on the floor. What were they whispering about?Finally it got to me.

“Did you hear? G.G. was fired!”

“Really!?! What happened” My heart pounded. I knew what transpired Sunday morning. Still, I couldn’t believe it. G.G. always bragged that she would never get fired, because she was the top performer. We believed her. She believed herself. So much so that she came to work as if it couldn’t happen and went to HR. They had to fire her for the second and final time the next day.

I don’t share that story much, because I did feel guilty about her losing her job. But, I must say, – I was relieved! Nonetheless, it serves as a reminder to me that God hears our cries and he cares about us.

I wish I could say that situation transformed me into a fearless warrior you know today, but… I still need to remind myself to have no fear; to approach life with a boldness. We serve a God who is able to slay literal and figurative giants.

 

Please share examples of how God has showed up in your life- in a way that serves as a reminder of His grandeur. Do you have a fear that seems to lurk in the corner? Feel free to share.