I hate scary movies. As I’ve grown up, I’ve told people that the reason I don’t like scary movies is that they devalue human life, which is true. But honestly they just freak me out. When I was in college I went to one of those church-run haunted trails, one where they turn the Sunday School hall into a blood-spattered psychopath trail to scare the snot out of you. Well, it worked. While I was in there with the youth, I laughed and pretended that the creepy clowns and hockey-masked chainsaw-wielding maniacs didn’t scare me. But when I went to bed later that night, I couldn’t sleep. Every creak, each changing shadow triggered this ridiculous fear.
There weren’t chainsaws in ancient Israel, but there seems to have been monsters. Take Psalm 27 for example. The writer encounters scores of enemies right down to the straight out of Dawn of the Dead flesh-devouring evil men in verse 2. Now obviously the psalmist wasn’t running into zombies, but there were very real forces that were seeking to destroy life.
Psalm 27
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?
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 beseige me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.
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.
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.
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.
New International Version
What are the monsters in our life? Our minds might immediately go to those that abuse us in some way. In the case of Psalm 27, the author (believed to be David) seems to have been threatened by physical forces. Maybe in your case, it’s someone that makes fun of you at school. Or perhaps it is someone that hurts you in some other way whether it be verbally, emotionally, or even physically. It could be something that threatens your friends.
The monster in your life might not be a person. Anyone that has watched a horror movie knows that monsters can also be something that you cannot see and often those are the hardest to overcome. We use the word sin so often in churches that I think we grow numb to it. But sin is a monster that lives within us; it devours and it destroys. It can be gossip, pornography, alcohol abuse, apathy, whatever. It is a monster that can quickly grow from something seemingly insignificant into a devastating force.
There is much of which to be afraid. Yet the psalmist boldly asks what there really is to fear, because God is his light, salvation, and stronghold. Those are easy statements to make when you are feeling it during some musical worship, but it is another thing entirely when you say that when evil advances against you. The author does not ignore the monsters; he sees that they are ever present and begs God not to turn away. He knows that without God his enemies - whether it be physical forces that seek to harm him or the sin that he he has to battle in his own life - will overcome him.
The psalmist knows that faith in God is his only hope. In verse 4 (which is later echoed in the song “Better is One Day”), he seeks one thing: to dwell in God’s house forever so that he might see the greatness of the Lord’s beauty. Later on, the psalmist’s heart implores him to seek God’s face. Later still, he asks God to teach him and lead him. And at the close he writes these words: “be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” See a theme here?
There are many monsters in this life and they are more dangerous than an undead creature on the movie screen. That causes us to have much to fear. But we have God. Now don’t get me wrong, faith in God does not make these monsters disappear anymore than wearing a seatbelt makes car accidents not happen. Monsters will still attack. But God will be there. Even when He seems silent; the God of the universe is our light and our salvation. Whom shall we fear?
Chris Cox is a graduate of Furman University and currently works as an associate for Concoxions. He has served on Seesalt staff full time for the last five years. And he really, really does not like scary movies.