Psalm 27:1, 4-6
The Rev. Dr. Robert S. Langworthy, preaching
January 25, 2026
A study published last year showed that anxiety has become for many an unwelcome, constant companion who weighs them down with worry every step of their way.
What may surprise you is that younger people are more likely to be fretful than older people. Compared to 38% of those over 60, 62% of millennials and Gen Z-ers report feeling continually anxious.
On average, all Americans of all ages spend 138 minutes each day caught in the grip of anxiety.
David, who was never free of “evildoers” desiring to “devour” his flesh, had such faith in God that it tamed his anxiety. It so put fear in its place that, despite the enemies all around him all the time, he exclaimed, “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?” David felt calm and confident even in the face of constant danger. Though David had no illusions about the fragility of life or success, and accepted the reality of possible assassination, betrayal by loved ones and the destruction of his nation, such prospects could not dislodge him from his foundational peace.
How did he manage that?
David did much right; but let’s focus on what he spoke of in this Psalm. He said that, in the face of unrelenting danger, “One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.” In other words, the “one thing” David made his chief aim and ultimate concern engaged him in three practices: walking through his days close to God, keeping God’s greatness ever within sight and continually listening to Him to learn His ways and His will.
First, David prioritized living “in the house of the Lord all the days of my life”. That meant that he sought, not to stay in the temple 24/7 but to stay aware of, and close to God, 24/7. David meant to relate with God even as he waged military campaigns, held a fractious community together and provided for the building of the temple. Though David may not always have been consciously praying or reflecting on God’s word, David was always bearing God’s nearness in mind and hoping his collaborating with God on His projects would deepen the friendship between the two of them.
God mattered more to David than any gift God might give him. When for example in Psalm 23 David exulted in God’s shepherding care and exclaimed, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want,” I wonder whether he was in part saying he would not want because, in a real sense, God was all he wanted. God Himself was David’s pearl of great price, the supreme treasure of his heart; and that made David’s sense of well-being invulnerable to disruption from stressful situations. Even when David was in pain or in trouble, he was into God and God kept him at peace.
A half dozen years ago, an anonymous young man, to this day still not identified, became a social media star from a Southwest Airlines flight to Kansas City. He chanced to sit next to a 96-year-old lady who was travelling to Missouri to spend her birthday with family but who was scared to death about flying by herself for the first time in fifteen years. The young man, with gentle kindness, became her “flight angel” who comforted her and prevented her from panicking.
A nearby passenger named Megan Ashley was surreptitiously watching them, eavesdropping on their conversation, taking photos and posting them on her Facebook page. Ashley said, “She asked to hold his hand during takeoff and hugged his arm during turbulence. He patted her shoulder, explained what was going on, and put her mind at rest. He was there for her and did whatever was needed.” When they landed, he helped her to get settled into a wheelchair. When she got confused about finding her daughter (whom she kept calling “my sister”), he waited with her until the two of them finally made their rendezvous.
If we let God embrace us like that and keep our fear at bay like that, we too will know the peace that David enjoyed even in disturbing times.
To allow that to happen for us, we do well to stay close to God as David did. We also do well, as David did, to “behold the beauty of the Lord” often – that is, to fix our gaze on God’s greatness and take it in. We do well to steadfastly keep God’s magnificence before our mind’s eye. By repeatedly beholding how loving He is, we’ll love Him more; by repeatedly beholding how praiseworthy He is, we’ll praise Him more; and by repeatedly beholding how trustworthy He is, we’ll trust Him more. And all that will strengthen our faith and solidify our peace.
So, to tame our fear, we do well to follow David’s example by walking through life close to God and fixing our gaze on the beauty of His character. Finally, we do well to continually “inquire” of Him – that is, to study His word, listen to Him and learn of His ways and His will. We will then rest in the assurance that He works in all things for good and will lead us on the way of life that does us and others the most good.
In his book Beautiful People Don’t Just Happen, Pastor Scott Sauls tells of how at wedding rehearsals he always reminds members of the wedding party to keep their knees slightly bent while standing during the ceremony. Locked knees, particularly for those wearing high heels, limits oxygen flow to the brain and increases the chance of fainting. Over the years, Scott says, five bridesmaids have neglected his instructions and fainted. (Adele, by the way, would add one groom to the list!) But a helper has always rushed to the fallen to resuscitate them and restore them to their honored place, that they, keeping knees dutifully and carefully bent, might accomplish their purpose and join the parade on to all the dancing, singing and feasting that follows.
God is our good and faithful Shepherd. But God cannot guarantee we’ll never neglect His instructions and fall – and neither can we. Yet, God does guarantee He’ll always be there for us to resuscitate us and restore us to our honored place that we may fulfill our part and go forth with dancing, singing and feasting.
We have God, the revelation of His trustworthiness and second chances after we’ve neglected His instructions.
Whom then shall we fear and of whom shall we be afraid?
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