When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?
Psalm 56 begins with David crying out to God because his enemies are in hot pursuit of him and all day long they press their attack (v. 1). In the midst of such pressure, David declares to God: When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. Notice that he says when I am afraid, not if I am afraid. This tells me that David accepts the fact that fear is a human emotion; we all experience fear to some degree at some time. But he adds, I put my trust in you. He did not trust himself or other people; he trusted God alone. David lived boldly and courageously because he knew God was always with him. We can live this same way. We can choose not to live according to the fear we feel, but according to God’s Word.
Years ago, God taught me to use what I call the “power twins” to help me defeat fear in my life. They are “I pray” and “I say.” When I feel fear, I begin to pray and ask for God’s help; then I say, “I will not fear!” I encourage you to also use these power twins as soon as you feel fear about anything. This will help you manage the emotion of fear instead of allowing it to control you.
Prayer of the Day: When I am afraid, Lord, I will trust in You. I will pray for Your help and declare, “I will not fear!”
