Power from the Psalms

In my previous column we discussed the importance of complete dependence on God in the practice of leadership; and we saw how some psalms help us to understand this.

In this column we explore how complete dependence on God for leaders and others gives us the freedom to practice leadership or go about our daily duties in life without undue worry and fear.

Often what makes leadership difficult is the fear of some authorities above us who want us to do what is not right, or some other powerful people who are envious of us or who want to create situations that make us fail. Faced with such opponents, our natural reaction is to take revenge and to wish that God would punish them.

In the First Book of Samuel we learn about how Saul, the first King of Israel, was jealous of David, feared him and pursued him relentlessly in a bid to kill him (18 -31).

For his part, David put his trust in God, and when twice he was presented with an opportunity to kill Saul, David refused to take matters into his own hands and instead declared: the Lord himself will strike him … But the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed (26:8-11).

It is partly in this context that we can understand Psalms 23 and 27.

In Psalm 23, David depicts God as a Good Shepherd who takes care of his sheep. The sheep have such complete dependence on God that they are not afraid of anything, but they are capable of facing any storms that may come their way without fear because of the knowledge that the Good Shepherd is there to protect them.

David had such complete dependence in the face of Saul’s pursuit to kill him that he could say of God: The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing…Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

For David, the Lord did not only protect him, he guides me along the right paths. In other words, God showed him how to conduct himself in a godly way, and to take decisions that were in accordance with the will of the Divine.

Similarly, leaders who see God as their shepherd will be able to proclaim: Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life; so that they are not only protected by God, but also that all the decisions they make are divinely inspired and do not cause any harm to anybody.

This is important because many in positions of influence think only of the importance of what they desire to achieve and are completely oblivious of the harm their decisions may cause to those over whom they have authority.

We are often not aware that the way we treat others can lead to high blood pressure, stress, anxiety and other serious illnesses. The unfortunate thing is that, as Christian leaders, we are often guided by secular norms of leadership and fail to integrate our leadership practices with our Christian faithwith the result that we do not see how our leadership styles have a negative or even disastrous effect on the lives of others.

In Psalm 27, David declares that he fears no one because of his complete dependence on God: The Lord is my light and my salvation  whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life  of whom shall I be afraid?

This is the effect of faith in and complete dependence on God that one is liberated from the fear of the schemes and grand designs of those who want to see one fail. This is how the martyrs of the early Church were able to face their persecutors and their death with such great courage.

Such strong faith in God also helps to alleviate the effects of stress and other modern ailments referred to above. It is in this sense that one can say with David: Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.

The reason for this confidence is this: For in the day of trouble, he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.

Psalm 27 closes with advice to any leader, follower, worker or believer who may be facing persecution or unfair criticism: Wait for the Lord. Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

The two psalms show that true faith in God has lessons for both leaders and followers. In part they show how God inspired leaders to relate to God and others, and how subordinates can cope with harsh and cruel leaders.