Sunday, 3 May 2020 Psalm 56
“When I am afraid, O LORD Almighty, I put my trust in you.” -Psalm 56:3[GNT]
It is said there are 365 verses in the Bible that say, “Do not fear” or “Fear not” one verse for each day- which points to how real fear is. In fact, there are strange things people fear nowadays- the fear of new things/ideas (neophobia) and fear of strangers/foreign people (xenophobia)!! The list can go on! In this Psalm, David who was in the face of a fearful situation (when caught by his enemies), both cries out to God for His help, while confidently placing his trust in Him.
Fear first crept into the life of man in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Even sinned against God and they became afraid of facing God- till then there was no ground for fear in their lives as they lived in constant communion and trust with their Creator. When trust/faith takes wings, fear makes its stay! It is the same today for us.
Let us examine a few common areas of fear:
The fear of death- could be the most common fear assailing man. Uncertainty of what happens after death is what mostly causes this fear. But to one who has put his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who gives eternal life to all who accept Him, the first death has absolutely no sway on him. Hebrews 2:14,15 says what Jesus did in releasing us from the fear of death: “… through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” But as the Bible describes a second death, eternal separation from God- that is even more fearful for the one who has not secured salvation while living on this earth (Revelation 20:11-15).
The fear of people- Proverbs 29:25 says, “The fear of man will bring a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe.” In this Psalm too David reiterates, v.4 “…in God I trust, I will not be afraid, what can mortal man do to me?” God, who is above every human being is one who takes care of His own- we are the apple of His eye- “…for he who touches you, touches the apple of His eye.” (Zech.2:8)
The fear of tomorrow: Most people are scared to face uncertainties, -“what will happen tomorrow?” is a thought that crosses our minds so often! Someone has said, “Worry is the interest paid in advance on a debt you may never owe!” Well, see what Jesus says in Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
It is for each of us to identify our own areas of fear. But the antidote to fear is just TRUST! Trust in the living unchanging God and His unfailing Word! David says in v.10: "In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise—"He put His confidence in God and His Word spoken to him! There are ever so many promises God has given in His Word for us to trust Him- to build our strong faith in Him in the midst of all our fearful situations. May the Lord enable us to hold on to them, declare them and overcome fear in our lives daily!
"Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6 ESV)
PRAYER: 'Dear LORD Jesus, I understand that fear is very real but I know that You are with me and hence I can trust You to bring me through safely. Thank you for Your promise that You will never leave me nor forsake me!’ Amen.
Listen: ‘You are my hiding place’