Read Psalm 108
In this passage the psalmist makes three requests which provide a pattern for us in praying through our fears.
First, he looks up and asks God to glorify himself in his life. Focusing on God’s beauty and making his glory our first priority will reshape the way we look at our problems.
Next the psalmist looks down at himself and asks that God would help him with his powerful right hand. And notice the basis upon which he makes the appeal, “that those you love may be delivered.” By looking heavenward first, we are reminded of how much God loves us.
As a result, the psalmist does not look around to anyone else for help. By first praying for God’s aid with his fear he rightly realizes that there is no ultimate refuge in the help of mere human beings. We will only gain that perspective by beginning with God rather than ending with God after other resources fail.
But this pattern is only learned over the course of one’s living with Christ. It does not come naturally. The Christ who came down from heaven has to train you to look up first and he does so by conquering one enemy at a time.
By looking heavenward first, we are reminded of how much God loves us.
Throughout the Old Testament, God was preparing his people for a Messiah who would conquer their spiritual enemies and give them an eternal inheritance. Therefore, the psalmist reflects on the Canaanite conquest of the past, not only to reinforce his confidence in the present, but also as a realization of an infinitely better promise to come in Christ.
Likewise, you and I must be confident to take our requests to Christ because he has conquered our greatest external enemies, namely, the powers of hell. And if we look back over our earthly lives with him, we must conclude that he has conquered, or is in the process of conquering, other external enemies as well.
But our enemies are not all external to us. Many of our enemies are internal and spiritual. Christ invaded this world in his first advent to destroy those too. 1 John 3:8 says, "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil."
What ultimately explains one’s ability to make his requests with heavenly priorities? What ultimately explains learning that pattern during a course of submitting all one’s enemies to Christ? I am convinced that one is able to think and act so properly when his heart is readied before God. Let us strive to ready our hearts this Advent season so that we may receive our king who conquers all our enemies, bringing forth our praise.