Unfortunately, we live in a world where it seems that terrors are multiplying. None of us want to be in a place of terror and yet we have all been there one way or another. Certainly, our family has been at the center of some terror in the past few months in Ukraine.

At first it was rumors of war. Tanks, artillery, soldiers, weapons of every kind moving in on three sides of the country. For at least a month we received almost daily communications from the US government to leave the country. 

Then on the morning of February 24th we were woken by a phone call at 5:00 AM to inform us that the war had begun. Christina saw one of the first missiles directed at our city fly past our living room window and 30 seconds later we felt the boom. Now we knew war had started!  

When it comes down to it, terror is something that happens in the heart of man. On one hand you can’t control it very well and on the other hand there are things we can and should do at Christians to keep terror from ruling our lives. In fact, as Christians we have a unique advantage when it comes to terror, we have the greatest, most powerful, and most effective anti-terror weapon, which is the Word of God and presence of His Spirit in our lives. 

Today we will look at Psalm 31. We will take a deep dive into the terror of David’s heart. In doing so we must examine our own hearts. We must recognize our terrors and learn to deal with them the way David did. This is not an exercise for the faint of heart, so I encourage you to take up your shield of faith and breastplate of righteousness. We need sober minds and hearts to look into these things. We need honesty with ourselves and courage to recognize that which terrorizes our hearts. May God humble us as we look to his Word and see our own hearts in the heart of David.

We must remember that a psalm is never meant to be a theological treatise or a “how to…” nevertheless we find within each psalm deep theological truths and guidance that can help us how to get through many different situations in life. 

First, however, a psalm represents the heart and the emotions of its author. Here, like in so many other psalms we see tension within the heart of David. We see his fear and we see his faith, we see his anguish and we see his answer. We must recognize this Psalm for its beauty, for its spiritual and emotional power, and for its depth of truth and wisdom. As we look to this psalm we must allow ourselves to see ourselves through the eyes of David. As we step where David stepped I believe we will not only see the relevant theological truths but that God will also deliver to us the real help and healing that we need in these terrifying times. 

1. David heard terror on every side

Psalm 31:13 NIV – 13 For I hear many whispering, “Terror on every side!” They conspire against me and plot to take my life.

You might be wondering why I am starting with verse 13 in the psalm. The reason is because like many psalms, the middle is often the climax or the hinge of the psalm upon which the rest of the psalm hangs. This is true for psalm 31. Here we see David building to a point and he completes this with verse 13 which is the middle of the psalm. 

Let’s look at how David built up to this verse. This middle section starts in verse 9 where David tells us “I am in distress!” As we read from verse 9 through verse 13 we get a very graphic picture of what terror looks like. 

Here are some of the words David uses to describe his terror:

All these words can be found in the middle section of this psalm. This is very heavy, very dark, very foreboding, very hopeless! And this is how David felt! He was being honest with God, with us, with his emotional and spiritual state. First of all, let me say that all of us connect with some of these words at times. Some of us connect with these words more often than others. If you have had or if you have some of these feelings you need to know that you are in good company. You’re not the only one. In fact, you’re in the company of King David himself!

The initial feeling of terror is not a sin!

I want you to notice that the Bible never once condemns David or us for feeling this way at times. We live in a fallen world, bad things happen, terrible things happen. We can always go around pretending that everything is wonderful when it really isn’t. David’s son Solomon who would later say. 

So if you find yourself frightened or terrorized, you don’t have to feel guilty. Sin is not in the emotion itself but rather in our reactions and decisions later.

A sad face can be good for the heart when it helps us to think of the truly important aspects of life like our relationship with God, the love of our family, and the value of faith. That being said, we must also realize that some of these powerful emotions like terror can be destructive if they are left unchecked in our life. 

What is terror? Terror is a strong feeling of fear and helplessness in the face of danger. That danger can be only perceived danger or real danger.

The Hebrew word “Magib” seems to specifically refer to the fear or terror one experiences when they are surrounded by the enemy and they see no way out. In fact this specific phrase “terror on every side” is found about 6 times in the Bible. The prophet Jeremiah uses it several times.

Terror is often seen in connection with “defeat”

Jeremiah 46:5 NIV – 5 What do I see? They are terrified, they are retreating, their warriors are defeated. They flee in haste without looking back, and there is terror on every side,” declares the LORD.

Terror also leads to panic:

Isaiah 31:9 NIV – 9 Their stronghold will fall because of terror; at the sight of the battle standard their commanders will panic,” declares the LORD, whose fire is in Zion, whose furnace is in Jerusalem.

Terror can be self-destructive.

Jeremiah 20:4 NIV – 4 For this is what the LORD says: ‘I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends…

Here are a few things we need to keep in mind when it comes to feelings of terror.

1. Terror is multiplied in the absence of truth!

“People are saying” most likely what they are saying is not completely true. We were told to leave Ukraine for at least a month before the war started. Russia is constantly terrorizing Ukraine and specifically Odesa with threats. But they’re not all true and they’re not all as bad as people say. 

Watch the news media today and you will hear people talk for hours about hypothetical situations and potential risks. People will always talk but their talk is usually not filled with Biblical truth. In the absence of truth our terror will always grow. This is why we are afraid of the dark. We don’t know what is lurking in those shadows. This is why people are afraid to make big decisions and life changes. They don’t know how it will turn out. 

There is only one solution to this, we must bring truth into the light. We must look to the facts and truths that we know for sure. The truth is that we promises from God about our future that give us hope that is greater than any terror! We must focus on the truths we find in God’s Word and certainly this will calm our fears and relieve our terror. We will look at these truths in our next point.

1. Terror should never dictate our decisions or our actions 

We may all experience feelings of terror but we need to learn to react to these feelings in a Biblical way. In this psalm we see David very honestly and openly sharing his feelings. He experienced terror on some level. Yet in the end we see that he did not allow those feelings to change the course of his life but rather very resolutely declared in the last verse, “Be strong and take heart all you who hope in the LORD.”

1. Terror is a weapon of the devil

1 Peter 5:8 NIV – 8 …Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Have you ever heard a lion roaring at night? I haven’t but I’m sure it would be very terrifying. The point of that roar is to induce terror. It’s much easier to capture someone who is acting out of terror than it is to capture someone who is calmly and logically thinking and using the mental powers God gave him in a wise and useful way. 

There are a million ways in which terror can enter our own hearts. Sometimes the devil uses other people to induce terror in us. Sometimes it can be geopolitical tensions and threats. Sometimes it can be our own sin the past that accuses us and terrorizes our hearts. Sometimes it is our own doubt and weak faith that put cracks in our spiritual armor and give terror an entrance into our heart. However it is that the devil finds a way to induce terror we are called to reset it. The first part of this verse gives us a clue as to how we can do that. 

1 Peter 5:8 NIV – 8 Be alert and of sober mind…

To be alert is to be aware of the devil’s work, to know that he is will always be looking for ways to cause terror. Sober refers to the ability God has gives each of us through his Spirit to calmly, logically, and resolutely look at the situation without panic, terror. To be sober is to understand the potential threat but to also believe in a God who is bigger and stronger and make a decision to proceed forward in faith and righteousness rather than in fear and panic.

We made the decision to go back into Ukraine despite the roar of Russia because we could see the need and believed in God’s power to save us.

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