"He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD. His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies."
COMMENTARY from Matthew Henry: (1) It is the duty and interest of the people of God not to be afraid of evil tidings, not to be afraid of hearing bad news; and, when they do, not to be put into confusion by it and into an amazing expectation of worse and worse, but whatever happens, whatever threatens, to be able to say, with blessed Paul, None of these things move me, neither will I fear, though the earth be removed, Ps. 46:2. (2.) The fixedness of the heart is a sovereign remedy against the disquieting fear of evil tidings. If we keep our thoughts composed, and ourselves masters of them, our wills resigned to the holy will of God, our temper sedate, and our spirits even, under all the unevenness of Providence, we are well fortified against the agitations of the timorous. (3.) Trusting in the Lord is the best and surest way of fixing and establishing the heart. By faith we must cast anchor in the promise, in the word of God, and so return to him and repose in him as our rest. The heart of man cannot fix any where, to its satisfaction, but in the truth of God, and there it finds firm footing. (4.) Those whose hearts are established by faith will patiently wait till they have gained their point: He shall not be afraid, till he see his desire upon his enemies, that is, till he come to heaven, where he shall see Satan, and all his spiritual enemies, trodden under his feet, and, as Israel saw the Egyptians, dead on the sea-shore. Till he look upon his oppressors, till he behold them securely, and look boldly in their faces, as being now no longer under their power. It will complete the satisfaction of the saints, when they shall look back upon their troubles and pressures, and be able to say with St. Paul, when he had recounted the persecutions he endured (2 Tim. 3:11), "But out of them all the Lord delivered me."
PERSONAL APPLICATION: Yes, these are days of "evil tidings." (1) Our homes aren't safe. Burglaries are rampant. Catastrophic earthquakes, typhoons, hurricanes, tsunamis, tornadoes, fires, volcanoes erupting, which can destroy and decimate our homes are escalating. (2) Our families aren't safe. Sick men released by our courts drive around neighborhoods looking for women to attack or children to expose themselves to. We are warned by the police not to walk alone at night. (3) Our money isn't safe. Fraudulent schemes abound. Senior citizens are victims of internet scams. Inflation is eroding constantly the value of the dollar. (4) The world isn't safe. ISIS continues its rampage against everyone, especially Christians. Super powers with super weapons threaten to annihilate each other.
The solution to the fears that these natural disasters creates is "fixing our hearts." And, on what is the heart fixed? "Trusting in the LORD." Come what may, I trust in the Lord. I know He loves me. I know He is with me. I know He is for me. I know that "all things" work together for our good. I know He will sustain me.
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