Not “IF” but “WHEN” I am Afraid

Not IF, but When

David, the mighty king, had moments when he was afraid. Psalm 56 is prefaced with a notation: “a michtam of David.”  A michtam is used in the headings of a few songs, possibly to suggest atonement. This Psalm was written by David when the Philistines captured him in Gath.

David had his share of victories. He rose to prominence when he was a shepherd lad and killed the giant Goliath with one stone hurled from his sling.

David had his share of struggles and defeats. He was a liar, adulterer, and murderer who wrestled with God over his sin – and became known as a man after God’s own heart.

So there he was, going from one crisis to another: hiding from Saul in a cave, confronted by the prophet over his sin, or a prisoner of the Philistines. Each one of these were times when David was afraid.

In his journaling with God, he said, “When I am afraid, I will trust in You.” He recognized that, no matter how powerful he was and no matter how much things were “going his way,” there were times he was afraid. There was no reason to deny his fear or that he had things which caused him fear. Recognizing the fear gave him motivation to choose a response. Every one of us faces fear from uncertainty, change, calamity, and situations. Be the first to recognize the fear. Then, like David, choose a response.

I will trust 

He resolved that, when he is afraid, there is something he will do. David had men who fought for him, protected him, and guarded him. Yet even their loyalty did not guarantee his safety and his life.

Every one of us has times when we need protection, whether it’s physical, emotional, or spiritual. Every single one of us has times when we are afraid.

What do we do with that fear? Do we hang onto fear, or release that fear to trust? Can we say, When instead of if?  Can we say I will instead of maybe I might?

What does it take to move us from I might  or Maybe  to I will trust?

In You

When I am afraid, I can choose to trust in myself, in others, or in God. We can move from a focus on fear to a focus on God. Psalm 56 continues with these words: “In God I have put my trust; I will not fear.”

Easier said than done, I know.

A genuine trust in God increases our confidence in approaching Him. If we truly trust Him, we can more easily go to Him with our fears, desires, and needs. Like the warrior and the king David, we face defeat, discouragement, disillusionment, and disloyalty. Like the man after God’s own heart, we can learn what it means to truly believe Him and to be confident in Him.

How is your confidence?

How is your fear?

In verse 11 of this chapter, David looks back at the former fear. He says, “In God I have put my trust;
I will not be afraid.”

David recognizes that since he has put his trust in God, he will not be afraid. Whether  he is looking ahead or looking back, he recognizes that his will action changes his fear to being unafraid. That is what we need to do.

When you are afraid, the best place to go is to Him – where you can completely put your trust in Him.

Then you will no longer be afraid.

Photocredits:Pixabay.com