The Weekly Word - A Devotion for the Week of February 10
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
-- Psalm 56:3
The psalmist David was intimately acquainted with fear.
When he wrote Psalm 56, David was on the run from his archenemy King Saul, who wanted him dead. Hoping to find protection under King Achish, David fled to Gath, only to discover that King Achish was a threat to him too. David undoubtedly felt desperate as he realized his situation was spiraling out of control. He was undoubtedly afraid. Yet David viewed his fear not as a dead-end, but as an opportunity to turn to God.
The insidious thing about fear is that it often makes us turn inward. When we are afraid, we tend to want to control what’s out of control. We grip more tightly than ever. If we let it, fear will only beget more fear.
But God gives us another, better option: He invites us to choose to trust Him in the very midst of our fear.
It’s no coincidence that David included the action verb “put” in this verse: “I put my trust in you.” He knew that as human beings, it’s not our natural inclination to trust – especially when we feel afraid and out of control. Trust, David knew from experience, needs to be an intentional choice.
God doesn’t promise that we will go through life without fear, but He does promise that He will be with us, even as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. In spite of our fear, in spite of our doubts, in spite of what looks like a hopeless situation, we choose to put our trust in God.
Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding me to release my grip on what I can’t control and put my trust in You. Thank You for being my place of safety and comfort when I am afraid. Amen.