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“What
time I am afraid, I
will trust in thee.” ~
Psalms 56:3
The Christian, though entered into innumerable blessings, is not without
fear. David could well recognize
his danger, for he prayed, “Mine
enemies would daily swallow me up” (Psa. 56:2).
He was not so proud he could not admit of fear within.
Paul was one who had also entered into similar experience.
He wrote, “For, when we come
into
David was not indulged in blissful ignorance; he was a sensible man who
knew enough to be afraid when he was in great danger.
He was not wrong in this, for he resolved, “What
time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.”
In a certain sense, fear can be a blessing and preserver of our life.
One reason we do not drive an hundred miles per hour on the highway at
night is fear. We teach our
children as they to grow to fear certain things.
Not all fear is bad, nor is it wrong.
Faith puts fear in the right place, making us fear God and not man.
A wonderful fact to our minds is that fear and trust were co-occupants
within the Psalmist. “What time I am
afraid, I will trust in thee.” How
could these abide together? All
fear has not been banished from the present life of God’s people.
The presence of fear within David was not of itself wrong, but whenever
fear reared its head, he would trust in God.
Though fear might have been present, it was not in the majority.
Fear was overruled by trust and had to give place to confidence.
The key is that fear was not debilitating for the Psalmist.
If he had given in to fear, he had been paralyzed, unable to go forward.
This was not the case, however, because of trust.
He said, “In God I have put my
trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me” (Psa. 56:4).
He reiterated, “In God have I
put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me” (Psa. 56:11).
Note also that trust did not result in dishonesty.
In other words, his trust did not involve talking himself into the fact
that man could not do anything to him. Rather
trust in God enabled him to “not
fear” and “not be afraid”
of “what flesh can do” to him
and “what man can do” to him.
The antidote for fear is simple and efficacious—trust in the Lord.
Though fear is not banished, it can be overcome.
Are you debilitated by fear? Are
you afraid of something and have become practically paralyzed because of it?
Let us then consider a few words from God to direct our trust in the time
we are afraid.
Do you have a fear of the dark and of the night?
Are you robbed of rest by fretting in the absence of the sun?
Hear God’s Word: “When thou
liest down, thou shat not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep
shall be sweet” (Pro.
Are you afraid of being rejected? Are
you kept from witnessing a good confession before men because you fear being
rejected? Do you worry you shall be
forsaken of any caregivers? Hear
then the Word of the Lord: “When my
father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up” (Psa.
27:9).
Do you fear going hungry? Are
you afraid the food source will dry up, or the economy will take a dive?
Hear God’s Word of promise: “Although
the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour
of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be
cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will
rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation” (Hab.
Lastly, are you afraid of God’s hand turning against you?
Do you fear that evil shall come and not just good?
Be assured with Job, who said, “Though
he slay me, yet will I trust in him” (Job
Your Servant For Jesus' Sake, Jeff Short |