Unchaining Fear: The Power of Prayer in Recovery | Psalm 34:4-8

Are you ensnared by fear, stifled by shame, and seeking refuge? God is ever-present and available to us if we just stop to pray. 

Together, we'll explore Psalm 34:4-8 and discover how turning to God in our lowest moments not only offers us divine protection but also sets us free from our emotional chains. 

Tune in, and let's find joy in God's presence together.

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Episode Transcript

Susanne (00:16):
Welcome to today's devotion on the Recovered
Christian.
This is Susanne, and today weare reading Psalm 34, 4-8.
Hear these powerful verses.
"I prayed to the Lord and heanswered me.
He freed me from all my fears.
Those who looked to Him forhelp will be radiant with joy.
No shadow of shame will darkentheir faces In my desperation.

(00:40):
I prayed and the Lord listened.
He saved me from all mytroubles.
For the angel of the Lord is aguard.
He surrounds and defends allwho fear Him.
David wrote this Psalm when hewas on the run from King Saul.
He searched for refuge in thecity of Gath but didn't find it.
He even had to pretend he wasinsane to escape.

(01:03):
He probably penned this from acave surrounded by his men.
Despite his dire circumstances,the Psalm is full of praise and
goodness.
When we are hiding, seekingrefuge, running from something
or from everything, we shouldstop and pray.
David says as he prayed to theLord, the Lord answered him.

(01:24):
It's such a simple and profoundstatement, even all these
thousands of years later.
David prayed and God heard him.
Our prayers need not be fancy orperfect.
They just need to be sincere.
There have been so many timesin my life, especially during
the Years of Struggle, where itfelt like I had run out of time

(01:45):
and answers and places to go.
I searched for help fromeverything and in everything BUT
God.
All I had to do, all any of usneed to do, is stop and pray,
and He hears us.
Not only does the Lord answerour prayers, but He also
liberates us from the chains offear.

(02:06):
In this journey of recovery,fear can be a formidable
adversary, whispering lies ofdoubt and discouragement.

I'm sure you know the ones (02:13):
You can't do this.
You'll never have fun again.
You can't live without it.
You've disappointed everyone.
That list could go on and on,but none of those are true at
all, though fear has a nasty wayof convincing us otherwise.
But David tells us that when weturn to the Lord in prayer, He

(02:36):
responds.
He lifts the weight of fear,replacing it with radiant joy.
And not only will our faces beshining with happiness, no
shadow of shame will darken it.
No shame.
How wonderful is that?
There are few things heavierthan the blanket of shame.
It smothers and it kills.

(02:57):
Shame is one of the mainreasons we don't ask for help,
why we suffer in silence, why wegive up.
Shame is a powerful and darkemotion, but not when we turn to
our sweet Father.
Those who look to the Lord forhelp will find their face
transformed.
God is greater than any of ourmistakes, our setbacks, our

(03:20):
diseases.
God is bigger than the thingyou fight.
In our desperation and ourdarkest moments, we are urged to
pray the Lord, our ever-presenthelp, listens and saves us.
But there's more.
Verse 7 unveils a profoundtruth: the angel of the Lord,

(03:40):
Jesus Christ, is our guard, adefender who surrounds us.
We may face internal andexternal battles, and we will,
but we aren't alone.
Jesus stands as a sentinel,shielding and protecting us from
unseen dangers, from the oneswho want to destroy us.
What a comforting assurancethat even in our weakest moments

(04:02):
, divine protection is at work.
When we journey through recovery, the road can feel daunting,
fraught with fears anduncertainties.
Yet in the midst of ourstruggles, there's a promise in
Psalm 34 that echoes throughtime, reaching out to us.
Even in our most desperatemoments, the Lord hears us, he

(04:24):
saves us, he defends us.
In the depth of sorrow, inthose moments where words fail
and only the groans of ourhearts can be heard, it's there
that the Lord leans in,attentive and caring.
Our prayers, whispered indesperation find their way to
the heart of our loving Father.
When you're struggling orfeeling like you just can't run

(04:46):
anymore, stop, stop and pray.
Just say, "father, help me.
It need not be more than that,honestly, it can even be less.
Just say Father, father, it'senough.
Cry out from your heart andhe'll be there to answer.
Let's pray.
Holy Father, we come humblybefore you, acknowledging our

(05:12):
fears, uncertainties anddesperate moments.
Thank you for the assurancethat you listen to our prayers,
that you free us from fear andthat your beloved Son guards and
defends us.
Help us to look to you for helpand to trust in your unfailing
love and protection.
Grant us the strength to leanon you in our times of need and

(05:34):
to find joy in your presence.
In Jesus' name, we pray Amen.
Thank you so much for joining metoday.
May the peace of the Lord bewith you on your path to
recovery and the recovering ofyour life.
He's just a prayer, a word, away.
I'll see you next time.
Thank you so much for listening.

(05:57):
I hope your bite-sized devotiontoday was very satisfying.
If you enjoyed this episode,I'd be honored if you'd leave a
review or a rating.
We are new, so every little bithelps me bring the word to the
world.
I'd love to get to know youbetter at our Facebook group,
the Recovered Christian.
I'll put a link to it in theshow notes.

(06:17):
So thanks again for being hereand I will see you next time.