When I am afraid I will Trust in You – Psalm 56:3
Notice the Psalmist says “When” not, “If I am afraid.” Literally it means “In the day I am AFRAID.”
Fear was something he was familiar with, and he was not alone. The great lover of Christ himself, the apostle Paul, also knew what it was to be afraid (Acts 18:9; 27:24). Adam and Eve first knew the pangs of fear as a result of their own disobedience according to Genesis 3. Fear is something we all can identify with… from Adam, as a result of sin, to Paul, as result of obedience to the cause of Christ… and there are many more reasons in between. Jonathan had warned David “do not be afraid…” Being “afraid” is not unique to you or me. Scripture shows some giants of the faith who experienced fear for one reason or another.
A young mom-to-be waited and waited as she lay in a hospital bed, waiting to give birth to twins. Her only concern and plea and prayer was that she would not have to have a C-section. As her temperature grew dangerously high the doctor said a C-section was a necessity. She would go on to lose large amounts of blood in a botched aftercare treatment but while she was being wheeled down to the operating room, her arms were spread outwards to the side as though in the position of the cross of Christ. She remembered these words of old… “When I am AFRAID I Will trust in You.”
Fearful Times
Fearful times come to us all in different scenarios and last various lengths of time. Some fearful times come as a result of our sin, others as a result of our stand for Christ and yet others as a result of simply being human and fearing the unknown or fearing the future. It is then, as the Psalmist, we must live in light of eternity and reality. It is not enough to berate someone for their feelings. Indeed, to do so for this dear mother-to-be would have been grossly insensitive, ignorant, and would reveal a lack of compassion for her. It was there in her time of trauma and fear that the Holy Spirit recalled words she had once heard and memorized. She had deposited truth into her own spirit and from that “Bank” the Spirit of the Living God recalled to her the solution. First, by acknowledging her condition… she was afraid. Secondly, by showing her the SOLUTION… for her to choose to trust in God.
Your CONDITION today may be one of being. Your SOLUTION is found in God Himself. Your choice is to either focus on the fears or to allow the fear to be a springboard to deposit yourself into the genuine care of God.
“When I am afraid”
The Psalmist did not deny there would be times when he would be “afraid” or pretend he was above it. He had not so graduated spiritually as to be untouched by fear. He had a PLAN. When that PANIC of fear would assault his mind and tear at his emotions he would choose to entrust himself and his situations to a PERSON… namely God Himself.
You too will have days when you are “afraid.”
- Afraid of a move
- Afraid of a new environment
- Afraid of failing at school
- Afraid of being socially rejected
- Afraid of the consequences of sin
- Afraid of an operation
- Afraid for your stand for Christ
The reasons for fear are unlimited but the Solution is always unchanging. There is a choice to be made… “I will trust in You.”
May your times of fear be a springboard to faith in God. That will mean choosing to look outside of yourself to another… God. Choose to turn away from self-reliance, self-occupation to the Savior as your Resource.
Make PLANS today how you will react when times come to cause you to be afraid. Learn from the PSALMIST. Be a REALIST because the times of fear will come. The time to PREPARE is now. Hide God’s Word in your heart beginning with this verse. Memorize it and mediate upon it word for word. Remember who this God is who has been revealed as in Scripture. He is the Creator God, Caring Father, Consoling One and He is ever PRESENT.
Plan Ahead by Memorizing and Meditating on Scripture
The hardest time to memorize and meditate on scripture can be when you are afraid. Like the Israelites of old who were surrounded and being bitten by poisonous snakes, they had to make a choice to Exercise FAITH IN GOD. They chose to turn their eyes, in the midst of fearful circumstances, to Him who is Faithful! They chose to take God at His Word and turn and look away to the Bronze Serpent set upon a standard by Moses. Their choice was faith, under pressure… in action! As they looked (by faith in His Word) to the bronze serpent they would be kept by Him who told them to do so. It would mean making a choice to turn away from the danger in front of them and their emotions which would scream “unreasonable” to their minds and instead, choosing to take God at His Word.
God is always after faith, not faith in faith but faith in Himself, the Author and Giver of faith. Faith is resting in Him as a child rests in the tender arms of a caring mom. Faith is taking God at His Word and acting upon it. Paul once said “I know WHOM I have Believed…” His faith was in a Person, Jesus Christ the Lord and he lived his life by faith in the Son of God who loved him and gave Himself for him. – Galatians 2:20
It was in a time of fear that David exercised Faith in his God. Is now a good time for you to do likewise? In trusting Him you are throwing yourself upon Him because you are getting to know more about His character and His care and comfort for you. No, your circumstances may not change but YOU may change… and how will you know? One way to know is to ask… when times of fear come to you, do you immediately turn to Him and trust Him in those fearful times as did David? You can, and I know you will, by His grace and for His pleasure. How wonderful a reminder those times of being afraid can be, that there is One in whom we can place our confidence. There is One in who knows our circumstances and we can go to Him safely… into His tender care. How wonderful it is to be able to be afforded such wonderful access to say “I WILL TRUST in YOU.”
Prepare, Plan, and Purpose
So, beloved, when you are afraid, prepare, plan and purposely choose to trust in the Person of God. Here’s your verse to help you prepare for times when you are afraid. Know the comfort of Him who is worthy of your trust – “When I am afraid I WILL trust in You.” Thank God that, through the cross of Calvary and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, there is opportunity for His people to Trust in Him. How wonderful the verse does not begin and end with “When I am afraid…” and offer no solutions. Instead of leaving us to our own futile ways of dealing with such times of fear and pain and anxiety, such as the bottom of an empty bottle, He has left us with Himself and wants those times of fear to LEAD us to HIMSELF. The verse shows us that He affords us the opportunity to draw near to Him. The psalmist concludes the verse with “… I will TRUST IN YOU.”
Our PART is laid out for us here and it comes down to…
- A CHOICE… “I WILL”
- In WHOM will I Trust?
The psalmist made the conscious decision to do what God would have you and me consciously and consecutively do each time we are afraid. Make the choice… “I WILL trust in You.”
It is not a matter of how I feel, but of focus. Will I focus on my feelings and be left living a life of a roller coaster life style of ups and downs… feeling out of control one moment followed by the sensation perhaps of exhilaration the next? Or a life where I purposely choose to focus and REST in God through Christ Jesus.
It is a matter of the will
In whom will I choose to trust? The Psalmist wants us to know of his choice and God wants us to know this is His choice for us when we are Afraid is to trust in Him.
I am reminded of the words of a song which say “Lay down your burdens, I will carry you, I will carry you, My child, My child…” Trust is such a huge issue isn’t it? How often we have trusted in someone and end up misunderstood, betrayed, or forgotten… and feel abandoned and hurt.
Perhaps through no fault of your own (or others) you were not able to fulfill commitments made and promises… “but GOD…” can fulfill. He has the power and ability to do so, He asks of us to “Trust” Him. Trusting Him is a lifelong process of weaning us from trusting ourselves and instead, trusting Him. Often, the weaning occurs through one trial and testing at a time, doesn’t it?
M.A.P. Your Map for Today
M – Memorize & Mediate upon the scripture word for word
A – Appropriate the scripture
P– Pray for yourself and others who are…. afraid.
Again Note David’s Words… WHEN you are AFRAID. Thank God He has not left us alone in such times. Our times of being “afraid” are but reminders of what we are to do. Make a choice to turn to, consider, commune with, and REST in Him. “I WILL trust in YOU.”
For that dear mom-to-be, her greatest fear came when the doctor said she needed a C-section. However, in her circumstances God was faithful to remind her of His Promise and comfort her with His Presence. He knew her condition and He showed her His Solution.
When I am afraid I will Trust in You – Psalm 56:3
Her time of Fear was God’s time to draw her close to Himself.