Psalm 56:3-4 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. 4 In God, whose word I praise — in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?
Fear is part of who we are as human beings. When danger arrives at our doorstep, we react as the LORD designed us to act. We are afraid. Fear is a wonderful protective agent in our lives. It serves a vital function, and it is a blessing from the LORD.
Now I have to admit, when I am in the grips of fear, most of the time I don’t see it as a blessing. Right in the moment, I want the fear to go away. I don’t like how fear feels. The pounding heart, the shortness of breath, the “I’ve got to get our of here” feeling. I like peace and safety much more!
So as the writer of our text today shares his perspective on fear, I can relate. Two things deserve note. The first is that he writes, “When I am afraid” not “If I am afraid.” The writer is honest in what he feels. He doesn’t hide if from the LORD, although that is impossible. He admits it in this Psalm, this hymn of the Ancient Jewish community and of the Church. He brings his fear right into God’s presence.
So many people are afraid to bring these ‘negative’ emotions into God’s presence, as though they were somehow polluting to Him. But by the example of the Psalmist shows, we can bring these things right to Him. He isn’t afraid of our afraid. He doesn’t rebuke or chastise for being honest in His presence.
The second thing I want to note is that he states “I trust and am not afraid.” Wait a minute. Didn’t he just way “when” he is afraid? Isn’t this a contradiction? Make up your mind. Are you afraid or aren’t you afraid?
This is the struggle many of us experience. We want to trust in the LORD, and we do. But we still experience fear and we aren’t sure what that means in relationship to our faith. This is a “both and” not a “either or” situation. We know this, not only because of our own experience, but also because of texts like today’s. Fear and faith can be bedfellows.
But fear makes a horrible bedfellow when there isn’t faith. It can take over a life, create isolation and loneliness, and it can stifle any faith that might be present. That is why we need the consolation of the Scriptures. We need to hear from the heart of God when we are afraid.
Whether your fear is based on actual threat or is tethered to the emotional tides of the moment, we can bring that fear into the presence of God. That is the exercise of faith, for we must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. Otherwise we wouldn’t seek His presence with our fear.
So next time fear comes as an unwelcome visitor, ask the LORD to make it your friend. Bring it into His presence and sit with it. Savor it. Learn from it. Some lessons can only be learned when we are out of solutions and we enter God’s presence.
The Arnold Journey 