Psalms and the Seasons of Your LifeSample

A Psalm for the Season of Fear

Fear is a four-letter word. It is a threat to our worship of God; in fact, if our fears grow large enough, they will dominate our lives and usurp our faith in the one true God.

If one verse were to be lifted out of Psalm 56, it would be verse 3. This verse acknowledges that Christians do have experiences that breed fear into their breasts, but it also promotes a cure: “When I am afraid, I will trust in you.” We are challenged to stop looking at the fearful things and start casting our destiny on the faithful and loving God!

In the twenty-first century, our fears are just as real and just as justified. We face such Philistine enemies as prolonged sickness, vocational distress, monetary shortages, unsaved family and friends, and sometimes even the assaults of brothers and sisters in the family of God. We must confront these challenges. If we are going to witness effectively to a world that is lost, and if we are going to impact family, friends, and church, we must divert our energies from fearing the secondary sources of our security and invest our faith in the God who is in control.

David’s solution is simple to discern. He appeals to the mercy of God in his opening words. “Be merciful to me!” Our Lord loves to demonstrate His mercy. By appealing to His endless, infinite storehouse of mercy, we open the door for God to display His beautiful character in an ugly situation.

David gets a hold of himself in this psalm and realizes that God is on his side. Psalm 56:9 conveys the assurance of this passionate believer that his prayers will be answered.

If the Lord is in your life, you will still experience fear, but that fear will be dismissed as you gaze upon Him and replace your fears with faith in His character.