What To Do When Life Feels Like A Battle
Have you started a process where you are sure everything will work out and you will get the results you are shooting for? Only to be told something has gone wrong, sorry we this project has been discontinued. Or have been in a situation where you are confidently encouraging someone and telling them to have faith in God, and God will see them through only to get home and be hit by a bad situation. So bad that your heart is broken, and you go down on your knees asking God why? We are often grip with fear and do not know what to do when life feels like a battle.
Nicky Gumbel narrated a talk he heard about 30 years ago. The speaker started by saying the Christian life is “battle and blessings, battle and blessings, battle and blessings, battle and blessings’ and he wondered whether the speaker will ever stop this battle and blessings stuff. He later noted that the speaker was making a memorable and profound point.
In this life we will face battles. They will come in many forms: misunderstandings, disappointments, unfulfilled longings, doubts, trials, temptations, setbacks and satanic attacks. There is also pressure, suffering, sickness, bereavement, sorrow, trauma, tragedy, persecution and failure.
When we are in a battle it is hard to believe that it will ever come to an end. When we are in a period of blessing, we sometimes expect it will go on forever. But the Christian life is not like that there are battles and blessings.
Whatever happens, we need not live in fear, there is a way to be sure that, when the foundation of your house is tested, they will stand firm.
If you are facing any of these battles, you can identify with David today in our passage from Psalm 27. Historically we know that King David went through a lot of battles in life. He’s been literal physical battles, but also mental, emotional, spiritual battles. In this psalm he teaches us how to face the battles of life. Life is a battle, and we need the Lord to strengthen us in the battle.
However, we need not live in fear, there is a way to be sure that, when the foundation of our house is tested, it will stand firm.
Big Idea: Our trust in God overcomes all fears
We can be confident the Lord will save us (vv. 1-3)
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?
2 When the wicked advance against me to devour[a] me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall.3 Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.
The word fear or afraid is repeated three times in the first three verses, a reminder that humanly speaking David has every cause to fear. It appears his fear is coming from people seeking to take his life. The wicked advance against me to devour me…
However, three things strengthen David’s resolve and confidence in the Lord: The Lord is his Light, Salvation, and Stronghold. This is only place in the entire OT that the expression “the Lord is my light” is used. David didn’t say the lord gives light, but he is “my light.” We will never walk in darkness if the Lord is our light.
In Psalms 104:2, He wraps Himself in light as if it were a robe, spreading out the sky like a canopy. John tells in John 1:1-3, In the beginning was the word…in him was light and the light is the life of men, the light shines in darkness.
The people who dwell in darkness have seen great light, (Matt.4:16), Jesus said, I am the light of the world he who follows me shall not walk darkness but shall have the light of life. Light represent clarity, goodness, holiness, wisdom, knowledge, hope and revelation.
“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. (1John 1:5-6)
Whether we believe Archimedes destroyed ships with the rays of sun during the siege of Syracuse in 212 BC or not, 10,000 to 15,000 lumens can cause temporary blindness. Light is both an offense and a defense weapon, and David understood this clearly. If God is light and he is with me and then there is nothing to fear.
The is my salvation. The Hebrew world used for salvation is deliverance. Deliverance is a redemptive action not a preventive action. God can deliver us from all our troubles. Sometimes it means going through challenges and the battles with his help and strength. However, if God is your salvation, whom should you fear, If God be for you, who can be against you.
The Lord is the stronghold of my life. A stronghold is a fortified refuge or place that protects us from the enemies’ attacks.
God does not give him light, God is his light, God is his salvation, God is his stronghold.
Those who trust in God will have him as light, salvation and stronghold. He is my… It one thing hear about a relationship with God, and even discuss it without having it. You want him to be light, salvation, and stronghold.
We can be Confident the Lord will lift us up (4-6)
4 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. 5 For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.6 Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord.
If God offered to give whatever you asked for, what would it be? Pay off your student loans, or your mortgage? Marry a certain person? Feel secure for retirement? Would you ask for healing? Maybe you are facing a problem, and you want to know what to do; you would ask for wisdom. What is the One Thing you ask for?
We live in a country of many things, many jobs, many income streams, even many churches, many fellowships, etc., etc. We commend ourselves for doing many things sometimes within a short term. It is difficult for us to grasp the “one thing” concept of God. Why can’t I have two or three or four. I want more and more.
Jesus told the rich young ruler, One Thing you lack “Go and sell…” (Mark 10:21) One Thing is needful and Mary has chosen that. (Luke 10:42; One Thing I do is to forget the pass (Philippian 3:13)
David wanted one thing and that’s to dwell in the house of the Lord. I will tabernacle or camp where the presence of God is. Gazing upon his beauty and seeking him in his temple. Grand Canyon and the beauty of gazing at the vastness of the rock formation.
God himself is the greatest One Thing we could ask. There is nothing better than he, grander than he, more fun than he, more lasting than he, or more rewarding than God himself. We would be fools to ask anything less than God. “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. (Psalm 16:2,11)
David shared three main blessings for focusing on his “One Thing,” that is: For in the day of trouble he will (a)keep me safe in his dwelling; (b) he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and (c) set me high upon a rock.
David says, I will sacrifice with shouts of joy, I will sing and make music to the Lord. When life feels like a battle we need to know that with our one thing the Lord lift us up.
We can be confident the Lord will not forsake us (7-12)
7 “Hear my voice when I call, Lord be merciful to me and answer me. 8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek. 9 Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Savior. 10 Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me. 11 Teach me your way, Lord lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. 12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, spouting malicious accusations.”
Despite David’s strong faith, he shows us the reality of his suffering. He is in the heat of the battle, so he prays passionately for God to deliver him.
However, his greatest concern here is rejection. Though my mother and father forsake me, the Lord will receive me. Many people speak of being abandoned emotionally or physically by their parents. God does not abandon us like our earthly, sinful parents or friends. So we are naturally drawn to verse 10.
What do we see from a parent? We look to a parent to receive, listen to, guide and protect us. That’s exactly what David is longing for here. Let’s face it, parents have a tough job. They are sinful human beings trying to imitate God in a dark and sinful world.
We seek acceptance: Parent reject children; children reject parents; husbands reject and wives, husband. We are rejected by friends, potential employers, people we are courting, and others in dozens of diverse situations. Most of us experience rejection from someone every day, BUT God does not refuse us. David prayed do not hide your face from me.
We seek to be heard: Sometimes children talk to us because they want to be listened to, not really caring about what they say in response, unfortunately many patents are too busy to listen. David prayed, “Hear my voice when I call…be merciful to me and answer me.” God is never too busy to listen to us when we speak to him. We only do not do it more often, because we are too busy not God. Perhaps, we do not believe that God is true listening parent who says, Matthew 7:7 “Ask…”
We seek guidance: Often we do not know the way we should go so we are kept out of sin and progress in righteousness. Like good parents, we provide direction and guidance so that our children are kept out of danger. David prayed, teach me your way, Lord lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.
We seek protection: The fourth thing a child looks for in a parent is protection. David is certainly seeking God because his enemies. He noted, Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, spouting malicious accusations. Jesus promised never to leave us or forsake us and we depend on his promises when seems like a battle.
We can be confident the Lord will sustain us (13-14)
13 I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.
David now has the acceptance, answers, guidance and protection he needs from God. So, he declares, I am confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. This is not God’s goodness in the afterlife, but rather the land of the living of living, here and now. Our battles will not last forever, we will experience his blessings.
When we face battles and we pray for deliverance, it often does not always come to us at once. God has his timing, which is different from ours, therefore what we pray for, and need is sometimes delayed. Are we to despair or lose confidence? Not at all, we simply wait for the Lord. We need to be strong take heart and wait for the Lord. When a powerful and influential person makes a promise to us, we wait knowing that the person will fulfill their promise regardless of the battle we face.
Jesus has brought light to our dark world to save us from our sins. He has won ultimate battle for us. However, we must put our trust and confidence in him. He is our light, salvation and stronghold. Knowing this about Jesus is not enough, we need to experience the salvation that Jesus brings to us.
Many people claim to know Jesus but have not experienced the salvation and peace that he gives. You can experience this change in your life today if you only pray and invite him into your life and put your trust in him. He will dispel all fear and guide you through your battles.
Some of us have been Christians for a long time but our One Thing (desire) is not to sit at his presence and gaze on his beauty. You can fall in love Jesus again; we can put him where he belongs in our lives. We can allow him to take his supreme role and position in our lives. We can embrace our first love again.
Jesus has promised never to leave or forsake us. He will be with us through thick and thin, through the dark valleys of sickness, pain, discomfort, and anxiety. The presence of Jesus is all we need to overcome our doubts and fears when face life’s battle.
If we wait on the Lord and do not lose hope, we will see and experience the blessings of the Lord on this side of heaven and afterwards, we will receive eternal riches and glory forevermore. The confusion and pain, misunderstandings, disappointments, unfulfilled longings, doubts, trials, temptations setbacks and satanic attacks.
Jesus Christ has overcome the world, and he has given us his victory. Jesus Christ will bring it all to an end, we only have wait and see the goodness of the Lord in the land of living. We can be still and know that he is God. When life feels like a battle, our trust in God will overcome all fears.