Worship Team Devotions: Fear
Hope Chun
Author
Published on
September 16, 2026

Aging is something we typically associate with older folks in our lives. But in reality, we all are aging every single day. I first started to note this in my own life the summer before I started college. I felt a deep sense of loss entangled in this phenomenon called “growing up”—the loss of having dinner with my family every night, the loss of knowing what was going on in my siblings’ lives 24/7, the loss of watching movies together in the evenings. Looking back, it wasn’t so much the losses themselves that were painful to me. It was the fear of losses I knew were coming. 

What are you fearing? What is the threat behind your fear? Do you ever find yourself plagued more by the fear of a threat than the threat itself? How might we continue to live on in the face of our fear? How as leaders do we go on in the face of others’ fears, much less our own? 

It is helpful to situate these kinds of questions in the psalms, praying as Jesus prayed. The Message translation offers a refreshing way to consider Psalm 23. 

Read Psalm 23 together.

Psalm 23 (The Message) 

God, my shepherd! 
 I don’t need a thing. 
You have bedded me down in lush meadows, 
 you find me quiet pools to drink from. 
True to your word, 
 you let me catch my breath 
 and send me in the right direction. 

Even when the way goes through
 Death Valley, 
 I’m not afraid 
 when you walk at my side. 
 Your trusty shepherd’s crook
 makes me feel secure. 

You serve me a six-course dinner
right in front of my enemies. 
You revive my drooping head; 
my cup brims with blessing. 

Your beauty and love chase after me
every day of my life.

I’m back home in the house of God
for the rest of my life. 

Discussion questions 

  1. Psalm 23 is familiar to many of us. We often turn to it for comfort, perhaps because it addresses all types of fears. What fears are named—either explicitly or implicitly—in this psalm? 
  2. Take note of the frequency of personal pronouns (I, me, my) throughout the psalm. Psalm 23 is a prayer about you, me, and the fears you and I experience. Which of these fears resonates with you at this time in your life? 
  3. Think about congregational hymns and songs that name fears, both general and specific. Is there a particular song that sticks out to you as one that has helped you name and tend to your fears? Is there significance in singing these in community? 
  4. Consider the two metaphors in the psalm: shepherd and host. How exactly does the shepherd tend to his flock? How exactly does the host provide for his guest? 

Read the psalm once more, and then close by praying together. Name your fears and ask Christ the Shepherd and Host to tend to you, provide for you, and relieve you of your fears.

This devotional is part of a series of devotionals created for worship teams. You can find the whole series here.