Don’t Let Anxiety Ru(i)n Your Life, Part 3

Lee Harvener • October 4, 2022

Part 3: Using the Psalms, cont.

For the past two weeks, we have been talking about our fears and anxieties. You don’t need me to tell you how they can run our lives into the ground, paralyze us, suck the joy out of life and ruin our relationships. As we mentioned before, this is something that people everywhere are experiencing. The cries and questions that arise from fear and anxiety have existed for centuries. 


And God has answers to those questions. The problem is that we often don’t take the time to listen. 


Instead, we want quick fixes. If you are like me, when you see someone struggling with anxiety you want to help them overcome it as soon as possible. That makes sense for a number of reasons: anxiety is awful, no one wants to see others in pain, and you certainly don’t want their pain and uncertainty spilling over into your life.


So you tell them some scripture that you think can help them move on as fast as possible. Many of you know what I am talking about because you have been at the receiving end of this approach. 


You hear verses like 1 Peter 5:7 which tells us to “Cast all your anxiety on [God] because he cares for you.” But somehow just hearing that doesn’t help in the moment. In fact, it can make you more frustrated because you feel like people are just trying to give you a quick fix!

 

Let me be clear; Peter is spot on in 1 Peter 5:7. The key is to cast your anxieties on God. He really does care for you. But what does that look like? Is it just venting to God? Is it pretending that everything is okay? Where did Peter learn to “cast his anxieties onto God”?


So we looked in the book that has taught God’s people to pray for millenia. The Psalms. 


Last week we looked at Psalm 3 and we just walked through the first 2 verses. And what we saw was David’s life crumbling around him. His kingdom was taken from him, and his family was completely broken. In the midst of all of that, people were telling David that God was through with him; that he was completely worthless and without any hope.


Worst. Day. Ever.


So how does David pray through this and confront this anxiety with God?


He begins by addressing the source of his fear. He states his anxieties before God, he doesn’t stuff them. That’s where we left off last week: writing out your version of Psalm 3:1-2 and being real about your fears and anxieties with God. If you haven’t done that, you need to do that.


Let’s keep going.

Reread Psalm 3. Even if you read it last week. Repetition is a good thing.

How does the focus change in verses 3-6?

(hint: I made it bold.)


3 But you, Lord, are a shield around me,

    my glory, the One who lifts my head high.

4 I call out to the Lord,

    and he answers me from his holy mountain.


5 I lie down and sleep;

    I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.

6 I will not fear though tens of thousands

    assail me on every side.


David started by focusing on the source of his fear and anxiety, but he doesn’t stay there. He shifts his attention to God’s character. And as David thinks about who God is he uses three metaphors to describe him.. 


Pro tip: Whenever Bible authors use metaphors. It’s worthwhile to think about them. So we’re going to break them down.


Metaphor 1: The Lord is a shield. 


What comes to mind when you think of a shield?


I bet the first thing that came to mind was protection, and that’s true. But, that has some pretty big implications. 


Why do you use a shield?


Yeah, I know, repetitive. It is a tool of safety and protection. I just said that. But what if you saw me just walking around with a shield? You might guess a couple of things about me.


That I expect something terrible is going to happen. 


OR I am going to a renaissance fair, but just focus on the first one.


Here’s why I think this is important. Shields don’t stop bad things from happening, they keep you from being completely destroyed when the bad things happen. Usually it is times of hardship and anxiety that we think that God has abandoned us, and the logic is simple in our heads, “If God loved me he wouldn’t allow bad things to happen to me.”


But David has a different conviction.


He knows that even when life is crumbling around him, God has not abandoned him. If anything it is the opposite. In moments of fear and anxiety, David’s conviction is that God is a shield who will protect the most intimate parts of who David is. God is closer, not farther in times of hardship.


The same is true for us. Even in our darkest times and most painful times, God is going to protect the most important pieces of who we are. 


This builds into the next metaphor that David uses, 


Metaphor 2: The Lord is “my glory.”


Glory is one of those religious words that has become pretty vague. When you think about “glory” you might think about having fame, honor, or maybe something shiny. Glorious things can be all of those, but the meaning of the Hebrew word (kavod) just means something important.


So to say that “God is my glory” means that he is your importance and worth. He is the one who gives you value. And from David’s life (2 Sam 11-18) it’s clear that other things had become David’s “kavod.” That’s why he needs to say it right now! 


Things like his power, his position, his image as the father of a large family, and his kingdom had given him a sense of “glory” and identity that led him to take advantage of others and ignore God. But now that these things are gone, and as he prays through his fears, he can see that he has misplaced his glory. 


It’s this misplaced glory that produces David’s anxiety. With all of his importance in his role of king, successful father, nation builder, etc. what happened when all of that was lost? A crisis of identity. A crisis of self worth. Anxiety and fear.  


But now that he has been stripped of all of that, he realizes that God is the one who intimately protects who he truly is (his shield) and the one who truly gives him worth (glory). All he needs to get through is God’s favor and forgiveness.


Which leads into the last metaphor!!!

Metaphor 3: “Lifter of my Head.”


This means essentially what you’d think! It’s a statement of confidence! Even though everything around David looks awful, in large part because of his awful decisions, he can still hold his head high because God gives him confidence. Even when everything is in shambles, David is convinced that God hears him, listens to him and answers him (3:4). So he can get a great night of sleep (3:5).


So he has identified the source of his anxiety, he has realigned his priorities and trust in God, and now he knows that he is living in God’s mercy and grace, no matter what happens, “for the Lord sustained me” (3:5). 


And even if things do get worse, he knows that God’s love is stronger than death, which is what being surrounded by thousands of people on every side would result in (3:6). He reaches a place of profound peace!


But that doesn’t cancel out his emotions. Read verse 7.


3:7 “Arise, Lord!

    Deliver me, my God!

Strike all my enemies on the jaw;

    break the teeth of the wicked.”


This is the part of the psalm where we say, “Now David, you can’t talk like that!” And the more that you read the Psalms, the more you will come across passages like this (and some a far more brutal). You’ll see where a clear enemy is identified and the psalmist is crying out in lament and frustration, praying for justice against that enemy. 


And honestly what would you have him do?


Pretend it’s not there? Like there aren’t terrible things happening in this world? Would you have him give full vent to his rage? He does neither.


He is furious with his enemies, which makes sense. But instead of stuffing his emotions or giving them full control, he prays through it. In an act of faith, he is honest with God and commits his enemies over to God’s justice. And that’s how the story goes in 2 Samuel 18. David refuses to lift a finger against his son. In fact, David pleads that his son is treated with mercy before the battle where his son is cut down! 


I am convinced that it is because David truly prayed through his emotions, not letting them control him, but being real with God that he was able to cope with his anger and love his enemies. God took his anger and he can really take yours. It’s not surprising to him. Do you realize that?


It all ends with verse 8. 


“From the Lord comes deliverance.

    May your blessing be on your people.”


David knows that if deliverance is coming from anywhere it’s from God, not him. Yahweh is the true blessing and what the people truly need.


That’s Psalm 3. It’s a journey through terror and anxiety to peace and confidence. You should reread it again. 


As we close up, I want you to add to your version of Psalm 3. Last week we wrote down the sources of our fear and anxiety. 


For this week:

  • What would it look like for God to be a shield through those situations or relationships?
  • What would it look like for him to be your glory?
  • Could it be that this sense or anxiety or fear comes from misplaced glory (misplaced importance)?
  • Can this be a chance to relocate your importance/confidence/self worth to where it belongs?
  • What would it look like for you to turn these circumstances or enemies over to God to find peace?
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