Bible: 5 Poetic Books

Lesson 4: The Book of Psalms, part two: Passionate, but not Positive!

Anxiety and Fear

Anxiety and fear? Strong emotions? You'd better believe it. I've often heard that fear motivates us much more than the promise of a positive reward. We'd rather do everything we can to protect $1000 we've already earned than to go out and earn more.

Fear can be negative as well. Many events in life can swallow us up if we let them, and we will surely come across times in our lives when we feel like giving up. It's just too much effort. I can't do it on my own. I don't have the strength. What is going to happen to me?

These very doubts are also expressed in Psalms. The difference is that David knows if he can't do something on his own, God has more than enough strength to take care of any problem.

Psalm 64

1 Hear me, O God, as I voice my complaint; protect my life from the threat of the enemy. 2 Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked, from that noisy crowd of evildoers.

[Think of the Lord's prayer: "...and deliver us from evil."]

3 They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their words like deadly arrows. 4 They shoot from ambush at the innocent man; they shoot at him suddenly, without fear.

[Sometimes people strike out at us and we're unsure why. Jealousy? Pride? Self-righteousness? Whatever the cause, their words can hurt. The old children's rhyme simply is not true:

"Sticks and stones can break my bones, but names can never hurt me."

The tongue is a powerful weapon (James writes about it at length in the New Testament), and make no mistake about it--words can destroy!]

5 They encourage each other in evil plans, they talk about hiding their snares; they say, "Who will see them?" 6 They plot injustice and say, "We have devised a perfect plan!" Surely the mind and heart of man are cunning.

[The devil will try to attack us at our weakest points. He'll make a careful plan and try to keep us from spending time on what really counts: praise and prayer. We are too weak on our own to fight the constant battle against Satan, but with God, the victory is always ours...]

7 But God will shoot them with arrows; suddenly they will be struck down. 8 He will turn their own tongues against them and bring them to ruin; all who see them will shake their heads in scorn.

[Have you ever seen someone's lie backfire on them or get them into trouble? It happens often. If we lay traps to ensnare others, chances are we'll become entangled in our own web of lies and hate.]

9 All mankind will fear; they will proclaim the works of God and ponder what he has done. 10 Let the righteous rejoice in the LORD and take refuge in him; let all the upright in heart praise him!

[The fear of God is a healthy fear. It's a respect for His power and authority, not a "cowering-in-the-corner" kind of fear that he might do something to harm us. There is a difference. Fear can be a positive motivator to do what is right, or it can be an excuse to remain idle and let the world decide our lives for us. As always, the choice is ours. As always, the reason we have that ability to choose is because of God.]

Take out paper and pen and make a list of what's troubling you lately. Now get excited about it! Why? You can lift your troubles up to God and get the guidance you need to succeed!

Now write a poem in which you introduce an almost unbearable problem in the beginning that is slowly solved by the end. (Look back to "The Conversion" if you're still not sure...)

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