I sought the LORD, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
PSALM 34:4-5
That is the testimony of personal experience. It is not theory. It is not theology. It is not even a creed. It is the testimony of a man in a difficult and dangerous situation. He turned to the Lord; he sought the Lord in prayer; and his testimony is, “The Lord answered me and delivered me from all my fears.”
Are you oppressed with fear? Are you like the majority of people in our contemporary culture who have some kind of fear that gnaws at them, that takes away their peace? Why not try David’s remedy? Seek the Lord! Pray to Him and ask Him to deliver you from all your fears.
Up to this point David has been speaking out of his own personal experience. He now goes on to make a more general statement—based, I suppose, on his observation of people he has known: “Those who look to him [the Lord] are radiant…”
Impurities are brought to the surface. Gently and patiently, God skims them off with the invisible skimmer of His Holy Spirit. He goes on with the process until there are no more impurities and He sees His own image reflected in our lives. Then He knows that the process of refining has been successful, and He takes us out of the furnace.
“See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.”
(ISAIAH 48:10)
FAITH’S RESPONSE
Lord, I do not ask to escape the testing, but for grace to endure it, until You are satisfied with my life.
