STANDING TALL #1/9
STANDING TALL
January 30, 2005

Text: Psalm 27

Last week marked one of those anniversaries that put the dark side of
humanity on display. January 27th, last Thursday, was the 60th
anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp. More
than any other concentration camp, Auschwitz has come to represent the
pinnacle of Nazi ingenuity and determination to exterminate Jews and many
other enemies not fitting the Nazi racial ideal.

It is nothing short of Providential that the spotlight on the Holocaust
coincides with the beginning of our 50-Day Spiritual Adventure. On this
pre-Adventure Sunday, the Sunday prior to our official start, I introduce
to you this year’s Spiritual Adventure theme. As you have no doubt
already read in your bulletin insert or on the screen, the 50-Day
Spiritual Adventure theme is “Standing Tall: Facing the Fears that Grip
the Soul.” The Holocaust was one of those dark periods of human history
that certainly gripped men’s souls.

In the Kokomo Tribune, “Joe Rosenbach remembers the Nazis marching
through the streets of Furth, Germany, in the 1930s. ‘They had torches
and flags, a band. They got people stirred up,’ he said. Rosenbach was 6
when he and his family were rousted in the middle of the night by two
members of the feared German SS squad… Rosenbach and his family were
taken to the market with other Jews in the community. There, he was
separated from his parents. ‘We marched through the streets and people
threw eggs and tomatoes, called us names,’ he said. Although Rosenbach
and his mother, Melanie, were released, his father, Julius, was carted
off in a truck and interred in a federal prison. ‘It was pretty rough.
There were beatings every day, and they made the men stand out in the
cold,’ he said. ‘My dad was well off, so he gave money to the SS so they
would be easy on him.’ Julius Rosenbach was returned to the family in
December 1938 after being imprisoned about three months… Shortly after
Julius Rosenbach returned, the family fled Nazi Germany for America.
Some, including Rosenbach's grandparents, weren't so lucky. ‘We had 200
family members on my mother's side and, of those, only four or five
survived the Holocaust,’ he said. ‘Many of them were sent to Auschwitz.’
…Auschwitz was established May 26, 1940, in Poland. Some 2 million
prisoners -- most of them Jews -- perished in gas chambers or died of
starvation and disease at Auschwitz, according to the Jewish Virtual
Library. In all, 6 million Jews died in Nazi camps, along with several
million others, including Soviet prisoners of war, Gypsies, homosexuals
and political opponents of Adolph Hitler and his Nazis… ‘We have a photo
taken of [my grandparents] in 1942 or 1943 in Terezienstadt. That is the
last we heard of them,’ he said.” (“Never Forget,” Katherine Lewis,
Kokomo Tribune, Thursday, January 27, 2005,
http://www.kokomotribune.com/story.asp?id=6428) Like I said, those were
times of fear that arose that gripped the people’s souls.

In a way, anniversaries such as that remind us that many of our personal
fears pale in comparison. But that does not mean that they are
insignificant. Our anxieties and fears are real no matter what they may
be. All of us have something we are greatly concerned about, or something
we fear to some extent.

As I have said, today marks the introduction of the eight-week series
entitled “Standing Tall: Facing Fears That Grip the Soul.” The key idea
of my message is this: “Fear is best addressed by relying on God’s
almighty power.” Over the course of this series, we will learn to stand
up to our fears, not run from them. But do not confuse this with a
self-help course. We will learn to stand up to our fears not through our
own resources but through relying on God’s strength working in and
through us.

David, in Psalm 27, did not run from his fears. He stood up to them and
faced them by relying on God’s almighty power. In Psalm 27:1 he says,
“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 starts this
Psalm off with a categorical statement that his salvation and his
strength come from no other source than the Lord. This is the point we
must first learn, no matter how many hearings it takes.

Muhammad Ali, the former heavy weight boxing champion of the world, was a
rather self-confident man. Many no doubt remember his bravado and his
outright challenges to his opponents. He told everyone, “I am the
greatest. The greatest fighter that ever lived.” One day, he was an
airplane passenger, and the stewardess told him to put his seatbelt on.
The fighter replied, “Superman don’t need no seatbelt.” To this the
stewardess shot back, “Superman don’t need no airplane either, so put
your seatbelt on.” (Pastor’s Manual, “Standing Tall,” Mainstay Church
Resources: Wheaton, IL, 2004, pp. B11-B12)

Some people are very confident in their own strengths and resources.
David could have easily become this way, given his victories over lions
and bears, a giant Philistine, his own king’s pursuing army, and the
armies of Israel’s foes. In fact, we know of one notable instance when
David tried to go it alone, and it was a disaster. David makes it clear
in this Psalm that he recognizes any strength he has as coming from the
Lord. “The Lord is my light and my salvation — whom shall I fear?”

Continue with verses 2 & 3: “When evil men advance against me to devour
my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and
fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break
out against me, even then will I be confident.” Many people try to handle
their fears by avoiding situations that cause them anxiety or worry. The
person who is afraid of heights avoids airplanes and skyscrapers. The
individual who is afraid of needles stays away from the doctor - or at
least wants to. I have decided that I will never try out for Fear Factor,
as if that were a real possibility anyway. The thought of critters
crawling all over my face, or even having to munch on some of them, makes
me uneasy. Or, along the lines of our topic, it fills me with fear.

In this matter, though, David takes another approach. “When my enemies
come against me, though an army besiege me, though war breaks out against
me, I will be confident.” David does not avoid his fears; he stands up to
them. But he was doing so through God’s great help. Much of what we read
on the subject of fear encourages people to face and not to avoid their
fears. For example, people who are afraid of drowning will avoid swimming
pools. But writers suggest that such people should go to a pool and
dangle their feet in the water. The next day they might try wading in the
shallow end. Each time they gradually and slowly increase their exposure
to what they fear till they can overcome their phobia. The host of Fear
Factor takes a similar approach, I guess. On the few shows I have seen,
he is frequently encouraging the players and telling them that their
fears are “only in their minds.” They can get through it. The key is to
not avoid but to face the fear. David does not end his teaching there,
though. His encouragement is for us to face our fears not only through
exposure, but by trusting and relying on God to help us stand up to what
we fear.

From Psalm 27:4–6, we learn about staying in the pocket of God’s
protection. It says: “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to
gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. For in
the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me
in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. Then my
head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle
will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the
Lord.” David sought refuge in the house of God, which represents His holy
presence. The experience was such a refuge for him, he desired to be in
the presence of God forever. “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I
seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life .
. .” 

With the football league championships completed and the Superbowl
looming, there is a lot of football talk going on. So I’ll use an example
from football myself. When a passing play is planned, the offensive
linesmen create what is called a “pocket” for the quarterback. As the
defensive players try to get to the quarterback, the offensive linesmen
try to block them and prevent them from getting to their quarterback. As
long as the quarterback stays in that “pocket” for as long as it lasts,
he is safe from the defensive players. Once he leaves that “pocket,” or
the “pocket” breaks down, then he has to scramble around in order to
avoid being pummeled. In a sense, he is on his own when he leaves the
“pocket.” Well, this illustration has its limits. For one, God’s pocket
will never break down. When we remain in God’s pocket, we can stand tall
against our fears. When we leave His pocket, then we end up scrambling
around and being pushed here and there as our enemies pursue us.

Psalm 27:7–12 talks about the promise of God’s protection. “Hear my voice
when I call, O Lord; be merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of
you, ‘Seek his face!’ Your face, Lord, I will seek. 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, O God my Savior. Though my father and
mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me. Teach me your way, O Lord;
lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. Do not turn me over
to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me,
breathing out violence.”

David seeks God’s deliverance and help, but he seeks it with confidence:
“Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.” Even
mothers and fathers can disappoint us and fail to meet up to our needs
and expectations, but God will never fail us. We can count on him to help
us stand up to the fears that grip our souls.

Verses 13–14 say that “I am still confident of this: I will see the
goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be
strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” The indication is that
David did not always immediately feel God’s presence and help during his
time of fearfulness. In verses 7–12 he sought God’s help. In verses 13–14
he waited in faith for God to come to his aid. Some may doubt that
seeking God’s help in terms of facing our fears really helps us. “I
prayed for Him to deliver me from fear before and it didn’t work.” But
David reminds us that we must wait in faith for Him to come to our aid
and to give us strength.

The Reverend Craig Burton of the First Evangelical Free Church in Keokuk,
Iowa, recalls, “Years ago, I was watching an African-American worship
service on TV. The soloist kept repeating the phrase, ‘He might not come
just when you call him, but he’s right on time.’ After hearing it over
and over, the concept began to sink in. We need to wait for him in faith
to help us stand up to what we fear. But on the other hand, he always
gives us what we need just at the time we need it.” (Pastor’s Manual,
“Standing Tall,” Mainstay Church Resources: Wheaton, IL, 2004, pp. B13)

In the coming eight Sundays, we will to look at the following topics
which speak to this issue of facing our fears while relying on God’s
great help: terrorism and war; financial insecurity; rejection and
betrayal; skeletons in the closet; failure and disgrace; disease and
death; paralyzing what-ifs; and gathering doom.

God is well aware that many dangers beset us. Because of His gift
allowing us to choose Him or reject Him, there arise many enemies to God
and to His people. In spite of this, God does not want us to walk in
fear. He wants us to walk tall along fearful paths. God wants us to face
our fears instead of avoiding them with this key truth: face them not
alone but by relying on God’s power and strength working in and through
us.

I challenge you to come to church these Spiritual Adventure Sundays ready
to hear God speak to you and expect to see His victory in your life in
the days immediately ahead.


Rev. Charles A. Layne, pastor, First Baptist Church, Bunker Hill, IN