When I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
Psalm 56:3-4a
When our nation’s founding fathers put this phrase on our currency, I wonder if they were thinking of this psalm? They certainly had a great deal to fear, in fact just by assembling they were committing treason against the Crown and subject to death.
I like David’s honesty. He doesn’t say if I am ever afraid . . . he says when. We all have fears. Fears for our kids, fears for our future. We have to lock our doors and turn on alarms, even in our churches. Violent crimes in churches and intentional property damage to them have skyrocketed in the past few years. Many mega churches now have full-time security guards.
But when we praise God the fears cannot help up dissipate in the presence of the All powerful Creator of the Universe who has promised protection and eternal life. When we trust in God, we put the ball in His court, more accurately in His hands. Yes, we should still be wise in protecting our families, our property and ourselves, but when we know we have the Protector, the Rock, the Refuge and our Salvation watching over us, we can breathe again.
Never let fear block your prayers. That gives the Devil a foothold as much as doubt. God bridged the gap through the sacrifice of His own Son so we can approach His throne boldly. Anytime we want an audience with the King, He is available. He is our Daddy and we can crawl into His lap for comfort and protection. No worries- no fear. When we praise His name, our fears are released because our thoughts soar to Heaven and we recall again what mighty a God we serve.
David ends the psalm with this thought we can all turn to when fear begins to creep up our spines – it is a promise that God will always be there no matter what.
Then my enemies will turn back
in the day when I call.
This I know, that God is for me . . .
For you have delivered my soul from death,
yes, my feet from falling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life. (vs 9, 13)
As Paul said in his letter to the Romans, if God is for us, who can dare to be against us? Amen.
