“Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?” Psalm 56:3-4
There is daily temptation, in times like these, to be fearful. The rising threat of something we cannot see, but hear more and more about every day. The spreading threat of something that many have felt and suffered from. The heightened concern of many in our nation, even many in nations around the world. The actions of businesses and the magistrates as they take significant actions to try to protect their employees and citizens. Though these actions are designed to protect, they have consequences with far reaching effects in our lives and livelihood, as well as those around us. We’ve all felt these effects already. It’s precisely in times like this that fear comes knocking louder and louder on your door, attempting to make a compelling case for why you should let it in and allow it to stay a while in your heart and mind.
David could relate well. There were many times when He was afraid (verse 3). In the first two verses of this Psalm, we find David’s report of how the Philistines hounded and trampled him, how they oppressed and attacked him all day long. The threat against David was strong and pressed hard against him. Yet, take note of David’s response and action. He admitted his fear and, by God’s grace, knew what he needed to do. He abandoned it. David needed to trust in the Lord and that’s exactly what he did. “In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear.” David, by faith, threw himself into the hands of God, even when he had, by his fear, thrown himself into the hands of the Philistines. Despite the Philistines might, despite their intimidation and strength, David resolved to make God’s promises the matter of his praise. David placed his trust in Him and said, “I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?” David had great confidence in his God. He recognized God as the One he should run to for refuge. David found great solace and peace in Him.
May we do the same this week, Beloved. As we walk step-by-step, I encourage you to:
1) Keep your trust in the Lord despite the growing threat. Let’s trust Him in all things, and not fear.
2) Like David, make God’s promises a matter of your praise.
3) As Christ’s body, let’s continue to seek to care for and comfort one another and our neighbor, even now. Let us pray that as we go through this time, our God will draw us closer to Himself, closer together, and give us more and more of a zeal to serve. In what tangible ways can we love those in the midst of crisis and need?
4) If you feel burdened and afraid and are having a hard time navigating through it, please reach out and let me know. It will be a pleasure to come alongside and help you.