Finding Hope in Psalms for Living With Chronic Pain and IllnessSample

I Will Trust in You

But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. —Psalm 56:3

Like most people, I had big aspirations as a child. I wanted to write, teach, sing, and travel around the world—but maybe not all of them at the same time. However, chronic pain and illness were never a part of those plans. Yet years later, that’s now my life. It may be yours, too.

Sometimes, it takes all I have to not run to “Dr. Google” and check to see if my new symptom is something to be concerned about or if it is just another one to add to the growing list of things that are now a part of my “new normal.” And of course, when I do give in and look things up, the symptoms are almost always something serious, which fires up my anxiety and causes ten thousand thoughts—mostly fears—to run through my mind. Perhaps you can relate. David, who wrote Psalm 56:3, sure could.

David knew what fear was, and he had plenty of reasons to be afraid. In fact, he didn’t say “if I am afraid” but “when I am afraid.” Unlike David, most of us don’t have his concerns about fleeing from his son, Absalom, who pursued David with the intent to kill him and take over the throne. However, in addition to those fears, David knew something even greater: placing your trust in God will transform fear into faith. Fear is based on the situation. Faith is based on the solution: God. And with Him, you never have to face anything on your own.

It’s normal to be fearful at times. However, the Bible reminds us on many occasions that we have no reason to be afraid. And the best way to combat fear is to bombard it with faith. The enemy targets our fears. He amplifies them and preys on them. He uses them to increase our insecurity, anxiety, and distress. Faith, however, will attack the fear that tries to blind us to the reality that God is in control. That same faith will allow us to trust that He will never leave us. He is the ultimate Physician. And most importantly, He loves us unconditionally.

Lord, I will trust in You instead of being overwhelmed by my irrational fears. Amen.

Did this plan encourage you? It was adapted from Hope Amid the Pain: Hanging on to Positive Expectations When Battling Chronic Pain and Illness (a 60-day devotional journal), published by Ambassador International. Learn more at www.leslielmckee.com.