Worry is a cycle of inefficient thoughts whirling around a center of fear.
– Corrie ten Boom
A Study on the Power of Praying Psalm 27
As a child, I loved reading the books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I believe it was the one titled, “On the Banks of Plum Creek” in which she told about the incident with the leeches. Of course, it’s been a while since I read those books, so I was thinking it was Laura who got the leeches, but upon researching it online, several sources actually say it was Nellie who ended up with them. I’ll leave you to look more into that if you want. But there is a point I had in mentioning them.
By definition, a leech is: any of numerous carnivorous or bloodsucking usually freshwater annelid worms (class Hirudinea) that have typically a flattened lanceolate segmented body with a sucker at each end (Merriam-Webster). So, the pain purpose of a leech is: to attach itself to the body of a host and suck their blood. A “leech” can also refer to: a person who extorts profit from or sponges on others; a hanger-on who seeks advantage or gain. Biblical reference is given to a “leech” in this sense in Proverbs 30:14-15. This refers to the wicked and greedy who “devour” the poor and needy and take advantage of others.
I was asked to be the speaker this past week for our midweek Bible study. In the past couple of weeks as I prayed about what the Lord would have me to speak on, I felt the Holy Spirit speaking to me about “leeches” in the spirit realm. Just as those leeches you may get from a dip in the creek will attach to you and suck your blood physically, there are “leeches” in this world who will drain you financially and otherwise. But there are also leeches in the spirit realm. As Christians, we know that our enemy, the devil, uses his “leeches” to drain us spiritually. The problem is, he does this so gradually, many of us do not even realize it. This has resulted in many of us becoming “spiritually anemic”.
Some examples of these are worry/anxiety, doubt/lack of faith, unrepented sin, anger/bitterness, unforgiveness, discouragement/hopelessness, busyness, and fear. I have a study/prayer guide available with the Scriptures I listed for each of these spiritual “leeches”, along with space for your own journaling notes. You can download it here: Download Study Guide. These are all examples of “leeches” that will drain us spiritually. In the spiritual sense, we could be walking around with these things attached to us, slowly draining the life out of us, and we don’t even know it.
So, I’m going to show you how to find these spiritual “leeches” and pull them off. To do that, we’re going to do a breakdown of Psalm 27. As we unpack this and apply it, we break the hold of Satan’s leeches. The one we’re going to talk about here is fear. Just as sin itself, fear disguises itself. It hides, taking many forms, so we don’t recognize it until it’s too late. Because of this, not only have many in the Church have become spiritually anemic. but we are no longer walking in the faith and authority Christ, our Lord has called us to walk in.
Psalm 147:3 says, “He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.” Many of us are harboring deep wounds. We’ve turned to everything but Him. We’ve done a good job hiding them and putting on our “I’m okay” mask. But Jesus sees what we’re hiding behind the masks. He wants to help us, but we have to take the mask off and let Him. What does John 1:1 say? – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” He IS the Word that is ready to heal you and me. But we have to open that door and let Him. We have to decide we’re ready to stop acting like we’re okay if we’re not. It’s okay to not be okay. We’re not trying to prove anything to anyone.
2 Corinthians 1:4 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. He wants to do more than heal you. He’ll take what the enemy meant to destroy you and turn it into a powerful testimony to help others. Once we allow ourselves to receive that healing, we’re ready to let Him use us to help others. You wouldn’t just let someone walk around with leeches all over them. So, as we let His Word heal us, we can then be His vessels to help heal them. We can’t help others until we help ourselves. We do that through getting into His Word (Matt. 7:1-5).
A while back, I did a little breakdown of Psalm 27. After praying about what the Lord would have me speak on, I was led to my notes on this. As I had studied this, the Lord led me to take a closer look. He showed me that in this Psalm, David gives us 7 Keys to victory over fear. It’s all about choosing faith over fear. I’m going to unpack this for you, and the exciting news is, once we’ve mastered these 7 keys ourselves, we will be fully equipped to then help others, once we learn to apply these prayer strategies in our own lives, We will then be better equipped to recognize the leeches of the enemy attached to others, and help them apply these strategies to their own prayer life.
1 – Denouncing Fear – Fear is Idolatry! (vv. 1-3)
David’s point is clear: if we know this to be true (v. 1), then, “of whom shall I be afraid?” he asks. He takes it a step further: “though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear (v.3). Though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident. The “this” here refers us back to his bold declaration of faith in v. 1. This Word, spoken in bold faith, is the unchanging constant that negates all fear. He is boldly stating, as he knows this to be true, he will not allow fear to sit on the throne of his heart. The Lord is his light, his salvation, and the strength of his life. NOT FEAR, or things, or people. David makes it clear: he will not trust in fear over the Lord his God.
2 – Confidence in His Protection When We Seek Him Above All Else (vv. 4-5)
David acknowledges here his total confidence that as he seeks the Lord above all else, he can rest assured of His protection. Above all else, he seeks to 1. “Dwell in the house of the Lord”, 2.”Behold His beauty”, and 3. “To inquire in His temple”. The definition of “inquire” according to Merriam Webster is 1 – to put a question, seek for information by questioning. 2 – to make investigation or inquiry – often used with ‘into’. David acknowledges the Lord as the answer to all his problems or questions. He faithfully and confidently states that in response, the Lord will: 1 “Hide me in His pavilion”, 2. “Hide me in the secret place of His tabernacle,” and 3. “Set me high on a rock”. Thus, David knows as long as he is: seeking/dwelling, beholding His beauty, and inquiring in His temple (not seeking the answers in other things or people), the Lord will not only hide him and cover him in the time of trouble, but He will set him high up on a rock.
Isaiah 40:31 says, “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” To me, verse 5 in this Psalm has always gone hand in hand with that verse. Like David, we can find God’s comfort, protection, & strength in recognizing our time to: 1. Retreat from the battlefields of this life, 2. Find our quiet place with the Lord (Seek/Dwell), and 3. Seek Him above all else (Behold/Inquire). Then, like that eagle, we’ll be sitting up on that rock with our Lord, seeing the bigger picture He needs us to see. So, as long as we put Him first, we can trust His promises to take care of us as David did.
3 – Praising Him Even in Enemy Attacks – We are Above Our Enemies in Him! (v. 6)
David is confident and resting in faith that as he has sought God, trusted in Him above all fear, and put Him first above everything else, he is now resting in his place high up on that rock. He is resting, hidden in his “secret place” with God, and seeing beyond his flesh. He is no longer allowing his fleshly fear to sit on that throne of his heart. David knows that in resting in the secret “hiding place” in the Lord, he is high above his enemies. He’s learned the secret to being at peace during times of attack and unrest. Referring back to v. 1, he is at peace, resting in the Lord. His faith is in the One Who is well above his enemies, and anything they could do to him. Therefore, he acknowledges he will “sing praises to Him” and “offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle”. Thus, in effect, the power of our deliverance is in our praise! If we have faith in Him, we can praise Him even in times of unrest, because He is above our enemies!
4 – Acknowledging the Lord’s Help Above All Others, Even His Parents (vv. 7-10)
Here, David recounts his seeking God’s face above all else. He challenges God not to turn away in anger or hide His ace from him. There are four power points of faith happening here:
1 – David is restating his faith in the Lord. 2 – Boldly yet humbly asking in faith for God to hear his voice and have mercy on him. He’s acknowledging two things here: God’s sovereignty and his own humility and need for His help and mercy. 3. He then pays the Lord the ultimate compliment. He is acknowledging the Lord’s help, protection, and strength even above his parents. 4. He then makes a statement of faith: that when his parents are no longer there, the Lord will be. This tells us that David recognizes God’s power, help, and authority as transcending well above and beyond the earthly and humanly realms. We would do well to do the same. How many times do we put others above Him?
5 – Seeking His Guidance Above Our Own (v. 11)
In this one statement, David acknowledges his need for God’s divine way and guidance. His help, guidance, and strength in navigating the battles with his enemies. He also recognizes that, even as a king, he is nothing without Him. David acknowledges God as sovereign over himself and his enemies. Above all, he admits his need for God’s help to stay on the path of righteousness he talked about in Psalm 23. He also recognized that no matter his position or calling, he still needed the Lord’s help and guidance to avoid straying from God’s path for his life.
And so do we. In direct comparison, Jesus, our Lord and Savior, when He walked on earth, did the same. He was Emmanuel, “God with us”, in human form, yet still acknowledged the Heavenly Father’s sovereignty. Jesus still sought to glorify the Father Who sent Him in all HE did and set the example for us to do the same.
6 – Prioritizing Faith in God Over Fear and Despair (vv. 12-13)
Nearing the end of this prayer, David’s final plea is for God to “not deliver him to the will of his adversaries”. He well recognizes the ways God’s judgment came upon the kings before him who did not honor Him. David is bringing this request before his God humbly, yet in faith. Why? Because he has already acknowledged his human weakness and despair, and thus, his need for God’s guidance and strength. He has well recognized God’s strength and power as sovereign, above his fears. Therefore, he now presents his petition before the Lord, knowing and believing his prayer will be answered. David knows that though fear and despair are knocking on the door of his heart, and threatening to bust it down, he doesn’t have to open it. He chooses to believe, with his statement of faith in v. 13, that he doesn’t have to let them in and serve them refreshments. He is stating that he has chosen to believe.
The NKJV translation reads “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” The New Living Translation renders it this way, “Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living.” “I would have lost heart…” (NKJV), or, “I had fainted unless I had believed…”, (KJV). This phrase makes it clear, David knows he couldn’t have held on as long as he has if he hadn’t made the decision to believe. He has chosen to believe despite his fears. By simply refusing to allow fear or despair to sit on the throne of his heart above God, David proclaims his triumph over his enemies. He knows that through his faith in God and in believing in what he cannot yet see (Heb. 11:1), he is on the winning side.
So are we of we only believe in Him and shut the door to fear. Fear, doubt, worry, despair, and hopelessness may knock on our door, but we don’t have to invite them in and serve them coffee and donuts. We can choose to stand on God’s promises as David did.
7 – Waiting on God’s Timing… Conquering the Battlefield of the Flesh (v. 14)
Wait… the one word our flesh doesn’t like to hear. David knew, at the end of the day, his victories would only come in learning to wait on God’s timing. He would never win any victories by running ahead of the Lord. The Israelites never got anywhere by running ahead of Him and neither will we. Here, David is tying up everything he has already said, wrapping it in this neat little “faith package” God has given us. In this one verse, he is stating from years of experience, the importance of waiting on God’s timing. David was all too familiar with the heartaches he suffered by not waiting on the Lord’s protection, guidance, help, and strength. The costs he paid were high. No wonder he is offering up sacrifices of joy and praise in God’s temple. So, he adamantly and boldly emphasizes here, that word: WAIT. Perhaps for him, that one word represents the battlefield it took him years to conquer.
WAIT… Not on fear. Not on others’ opinions. Not on our enemies, and not on any of the other things we so easily allow on the thrown of our hearts above our Lord.
Prayer Challenge:
What have we allowed to sit on the throne of our hearts above God? Are we willing to humble ourselves before Him as David did, and give Him His rightful place there? What idols to we need to bring before Him now? What are the “leeches” of the enemy that have been draining our faith? Are we done being fooled into letting them slowly drain the life out of us? Are we ready and willing to let Him remove them through the power of His Word? Are we ready to acknowledge God, our Heavenly Father, as sovereign above our enemies, our problems, and even our families? Is there anything still sitting on the throne of our heart that shouldn’t be? Are we willing to recognize that once we yield it to Him, humble ourselves before Him, and repent of it all, the battle is already won? Are we ready to unwrap the powerful package of faith God has given us through this power prayer from David, and see what God will do in our lives, as individuals? As families? As the Church?
In Conclusion:
David made mistakes, but he acknowledged them and repented of them. He may have been a king, but he knew there was no room on the throne of his heart for his flesh and God too. So why do any of us think we are any better? He made his mistakes, but the lessons learned, and the stones the enemy threw in his path, were yielded to God. Because of his humbling himself and his obedience and deep reverence for God, those stones became part of the foundation that would pave the way for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, our King of kings, to come. David recognized, even as a king, that the throne of his heart must remain vacant for the only One worthy to occupy it. May we all follow his example. Only then will we realize, as King David did, that the battle has already been won.
Flossie M. Lee, Christian Author & Speaker 