When Life Feels Steady 3: Grounded in the God Who Holds Me

This podcast is brought to you by Walnut Grove Lutheran Church in Langley, D.C., in the hope that it will draw you closer to the one who loves you most.

Now, one of the challenges of life as a human being is learning how to deal with fear.

And fear is not a bad thing.

It's something God has put in us to help us to deal with threats, to take action when a threat comes near.

But the problem with fear sometimes is our feelings of fear do not match with the reality of the danger.

So, for example, we can be terrified about things that are very unlikely to happen, like a plane crash or a freak accident, while at the same time we can be very blasé about things that are truly dangerous, like texting while driving or climbing a ladder without paying attention.

So it's important for our fears to match reality.

But even this doesn't help us all the time, especially in the case of what is humanity's greatest fear, the fear of death.

Because a brief statistical analysis will tell us that the chance of us dying, the chance of anyone dying, is 100%.

And yet, if we let ourselves feel the weight of that reality, it will crush us.

It'll impair our ability to live life to the fullest.

And so we're caught in a dilemma.

We can't deny death, but we can't live in constant fear of it either.

And there has to be a better way to live.

A way in which we are honest about our mortality, but we're not enslaved to it.

So how do we deal with the fear of death?

That's what we're going to be thinking about today.

And to answer that question, we are going to continue the series that we are on called Psalms for Grounded Living.

And today we're going to dig into Psalm 16.

Now, as we open this Psalm, we see that the author, David, is facing a dire situation of some kind, but we don't know what it is.

And we quickly see that he's being very realistic about this danger, for he's he begins not with self-confidence, but with a cry.

He cries out, Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge.

Now that's the honest prayer of someone who knows his fears, who feels his vulnerability, and runs straight to the only one who can hold him steady.

David isn't pretending to be strong, he's actually admitting that he isn't strong.

And that's where grounded living begins.

Not with self-assurance, but with surrender.

David looks around then at his life, and he sees some things that we may often miss.

He sees that God has already surrounded him with signs of his goodness.

He sees the people of God, the holy people who are in the land.

And he declares they are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.

One of the ways God steadies us in this life is by giving us a community of faith, a people who remind us of who God is when our hearts forget.

And this is something that God has even brought home in a deeper way to me recently, as I've realized that I am more loved and accepted, and there's more warmth for me in the people around me than I realized before.

We were never meant to face our fears alone.

And then David goes deeper.

He cries out, Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup.

You make my lot secure.

Now in the ancient world, your portion was your inheritance, and that meant it was your security, your future, your identity, all wrapped together.

David is saying here, my security isn't in my circumstances.

My future is not in my achievements.

My identity is not in what I can hold.

It's in the God who holds me.

And because God is David's inheritance, David can then say the boundary lines for me have fallen in pleasant places.

He's saying, God has made my circumstances work out for good.

And that's not naive optimism.

That's faith learning to see the goodness of God even in an imperfect world.

It's the quiet confidence that whatever God has given, wherever God has placed you, he is present there.

And his presence is enough.

And then finally, David says, I will praise the Lord who counsels me.

Even at night, my heart instructs me.

You see, God doesn't just protect us and provide for us, he guides us.

He speaks into our confusion.

He steadies our steps.

He shapes our heartfelt desires.

Even in the dark, when our fears are loudest, God's voice is louder still, if we can hear it.

In the first eight verses of this psalm, God is trying to tell us through David that when we look at our lives through the eyes of faith, we discover that God has already given us everything we need to live a grounded life.

His people, his presence, and his guidance.

You see, God is a good and loving Father.

And he loves each and every one of you.

For he created you.

And if you are fearfully and wonderfully made.

Now notice that before David ever talks about death, he talks about life.

Before he faces the grave, he names the goodness of God that surrounds him right now.

And that goodness becomes the confidence, the foundation for the confidence that he will express in the rest of the psalm.

For after David names all of the ways that God steadies him in this life, his people, his presence, his guidance, he turns then to the fear that haunts every human heart.

What happens when my life ends?

And it's here that Psalm 16 becomes one of the most hope-filled passages in all of Scripture.

David says, Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices.

My body also will rest secure.

Now notice the shift.

He's not talking here just about emotional peace or spiritual comfort.

He's talking about his body, the part of him most vulnerable to death, decay, and the limits of this world.

David believes that even his physical life is held by God forever.

And why?

Because he trusts the character of the God who has carried him this far.

Because the God who has been faithful to him in life will not abandon him in death.

Because the God who has been his portion, his inheritance in this life will be his portion, his inheritance in eternity.

And then David makes a stunning claim.

He says, You will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay.

Now, on David's lips, this is a declaration of deep trust.

But when it's applied to Jesus, as Peter does in Acts chapter two and Paul does in Acts chapter 13, this were, these words of David become a prophecy that is fulfilled.

Acts 13 · chapter mention

Because David died.

David was buried.

David did see decay.

But Jesus didn't.

Jesus is the faithful one, the ultimate faithful one who entered death and came out the other side, breaking its power from the inside.

And because Jesus did not see decay, because he rose in victory, because death could not hold him, that means that death cannot hold all the people that belong to him either.

And that includes all of you.

Our future is not fragile.

Our hope is not theoretical.

Our destiny is not uncertain.

And then David ends the psalm with a vision so beautiful it almost takes our breath away.

He says, 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.

This is not wishful thinking.

This is resurrection reality.

Because Jesus lives, we also will live.

Because Jesus Christ is at the right hand of the Father, we will be with Him.

Because Jesus walked the path of life through death, he will now lead us to our eternal home on the other side of death.

And so when we face our mortality, when the fear of death whispers at the edge of our minds, we don't have to deny it or minimize it or pretend it isn't there.

We can look death in the eye and say, you are not the end of my story because of Jesus.

The God who holds your life now will hold your life forever.

And so what does all of this mean for us?

The solution to our fears, especially our fear of death, is living grounded in the God who holds us.

Or that's another way of saying, living by faith in the God who saves.

Because Psalm 16 is true, because God really is our refuge in life and our security in death, then it reshapes how we live right now.

David isn't giving us abstract theology, he's giving us a way of life, a grounded life, a steady life, a life that refuses to be ruled by fear because it is held by a faithful God.

And so, how do we respond to the assurance of resurrection life that we have in Jesus Christ?

Well, first we choose community over isolation.

David delights in the saints in the land, God's people around him.

He sees God's goodness in those people.

You see, fear isolates, fear whispers, you're on your own.

But grounded living means intentionally drawing near to the people that God has placed in our lives.

Those people of faith who remind us of truth when our fears get loud.

This might mean joining a small group or reaching out to someone that maybe you've drifted away from or worshiping regularly with God's people on Sundays.

You see, God steadies us through his people.

We need each other.

Second, we practice God's presence instead of numbing our fears.

David says, I keep my eyes always on the Lord.

When fear rises, our instinct is to distract ourselves through scrolling or binge watching or overworking or overplanning.

At least I see all of those things in my life.

Maybe you see them in yours too.

But grounded living means turning our attention away from those things and toward God.

And this could look like carrying a Bible verse around with you this week, and something you could whisper to yourself when fear arises.

Maybe something like John 14, where Jesus said, Do not let your hearts be troubled.

You believe in God, but believe also in me.

Or it could be just taking five quiet minutes in the morning to center yourself in Jesus before all the noise begins.

Third, we follow God's counsel instead of our impulses.

David praises the Lord who counsels him even at night.

For some of us, we might say, especially at night.

Fear often pushes us towards reactive decisions, grabbing control, rushing ahead, or shutting down.

But grounded living means slowing down enough to ask, Lord, what are you saying?

Where are you leading?

This might mean pausing before sending out that email, praying before making that decision, or seeking wisdom from a mature Christian friend instead of acting alone.

And then fourth, we face our mortality with hope, not denial.

Because Jesus rose from the dead, David's words become our reality.

My body also will rest secure, is true for us as well.

We don't have to pretend the death isn't real.

We don't have to fear it.

We don't have to let it steal the joy of the life that we've been given in this world.

Grounded living means remembering that our future is not fragile.

Our story does not end in the grave.

The God who holds our life now will hold our life forever.

Now, putting it all together, the essence of living a life grounded in Christ is this: we live differently today.

Because we know, we know, we know, we know who holds our tomorrow.

Fear doesn't get the final word, and neither does death.

Jesus does.

Now, when David looks at his life, he doesn't deny his fears, he doesn't pretend he's invincible, he doesn't try to talk himself into courage.

Instead, he lifts his eyes to the God who has been faithful in every season.

And as he does that, something remarkable happens.

Fear begins to loosen its grip and joy begins to rise.

And that's what happens when we see God as he truly is.

When we see the God who has surrounded us with his people who love us, when we see the God who has walked with us through every valley, when we see the God who has whispered wisdom into the confusion in our hearts, when we see the God who has steadied us, when it felt like we were falling, that's when we begin to realize that you and I have never lived a day in our lives when we were not held by our gracious and loving Heavenly Father.

And then as we look at Jesus, the one Psalm 16 ultimately points towards, the one who entered death and came out the other side, the one whose body did not see decay, the one who shattered the grave and now stands alive forever.

When we see Jesus, suddenly the fear of death, which once felt so heavy, begins to lose its weight.

Because Jesus has defeated death, death is no longer a wall.

It's no longer a dead end, it's a doorway.

And because Jesus has gone through death to resurrection life ahead of us, then the path of life is not a mystery.

That path of life David refers to, it's a promise.

Because Jesus is alive, your future is not fragile.

It is 100% secure in him.

And this is the hope that steadies us.

This is the joy that fills us.

This is the confidence that carries us.

You are held by a God who has not failed you in this life and will not, will not abandon you in death.

Because of that, you can live with a courage that does not come from you, it comes from Him.

David.

Ends Psalm 16 with a vision of where all this is heading.

He writes, You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

That's your future.

That's your destination.

That's the home Jesus has prepared for you and is leading you towards, even right now.

So I want to encourage you to lift your eyes, lift your heart, lift your hope for the God who holds your life now will hold your life forever.

So here's a step that I'm inviting you to take this week.

Just one step.

And that is to name one fear and place it in God's hands.

Not all your fears, not the whole tangled web of anxieties you might be feeling at different times.

Just one.

Take one fear that has been humming in the background of your life.

Maybe it's a fear about your health or your children or your future or your finances or your relationships or your aging or your immortality.

And then bring that fear into the light of God's presence.

And after you've named that fear, why is my child calling me to wish me Father's Day right now?

After you name that fear, then pray.

And you could pray a prayer like David did.

Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge.

Or you could pray a prayer of your own making.

But whatever that prayer is, say it slowly, say it honestly, and say it as many times as you need to for your heart to become calm.

And as you pray, remember what Psalm 16 has shown you.

You are not handing your fear into a void.

You are placing it into the hands of the God who has held you every day of your life and will hold you every day of your eternity.

This is how grounded living begins.

Not by eliminating fear, but by entrusting it to the God who is your refuge, your inheritance, your guide, and your future.

Amen.

Let's pray.

Dear God, we thank you for being our ultimate Father.

We thank you for the promises that you have given us through your servant David.

And we pray that by your Spirit you would help us to see what He has seen, how you have been holding us throughout all the days of our lives.

Help us to see the goodness that you have given to us and placed around us, both from you directly and then the people that you have given us in the community of faith where you have placed us.

And then finally, dear Jesus, help us to grab hold of you and your promises of resurrection life.

For since you did not see decay, then neither will we.

And we will live with you forever in the new heaven and earth to come.

Help us to live our lives now filled with the courage and the promise and the faith you give us.

In your precious name, we ask this, and all God's people said.

Amen.

Any gift that you would like to give will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you, thank God's blessing.