Creekside Church || Wasilla, AK
1.26.25 || PSALM 56...WHEN I AM AFRAID I WILL TRUST IN YOU
Weekly Sermon Notes
Locations & Times
Creekside Church || Wasilla, AK
2201 S Knik-Goose Bay Rd, Wasilla, AK 99654, USA
Sunday 9:00 AM
Sunday 11:00 AM
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FEAR AND FAITH AND THE RESPONSE TO CONSTANT DANGER…
LOOKING TO GOD FOR GRACE WHEN FACING FEAR…
(PSALM 56:1-2)
“1 Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me; all day long an attacker oppresses me; 2 my enemies trample on me all day long, for many attack me proudly.”
-- Be gracious to me, O God: David was in great and constant danger from many enemies – both the Philistines and Saul’s servants. He cried out to God, knowing that divine help could rescue him from any man-made threat. He appealed to the GRACE of God, not relying on what he may or may not deserve.
-- …for man tramples on me; all day long an attacker oppresses me; 2 my enemies trample on me all day long, for many attack me proudly.:
- ALL DAY (See vs 5-7): Ever feel like that? When fear comes over you it just is oppressive…all day long…consuming
- TRAMPLES, OPPRESS, ATTACK: David describes what the object of his fear was doing (men)…trampling over him, attacking him, oppressing him || whatever you are experiencing fear from can take on these characteristics, completely destroying you emotionally, spiritually and even physically (oppression of demonic things/people attacks)
(PSALM 56:1-2)
“1 Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me; all day long an attacker oppresses me; 2 my enemies trample on me all day long, for many attack me proudly.”
-- Be gracious to me, O God: David was in great and constant danger from many enemies – both the Philistines and Saul’s servants. He cried out to God, knowing that divine help could rescue him from any man-made threat. He appealed to the GRACE of God, not relying on what he may or may not deserve.
-- …for man tramples on me; all day long an attacker oppresses me; 2 my enemies trample on me all day long, for many attack me proudly.:
- ALL DAY (See vs 5-7): Ever feel like that? When fear comes over you it just is oppressive…all day long…consuming
- TRAMPLES, OPPRESS, ATTACK: David describes what the object of his fear was doing (men)…trampling over him, attacking him, oppressing him || whatever you are experiencing fear from can take on these characteristics, completely destroying you emotionally, spiritually and even physically (oppression of demonic things/people attacks)
AFRAID AND NOT AFRAID…
(PSALM 56:3-4)
“3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. 4 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?”
-- TRUST…When I am afraid, I put my trust in you… in God I trust; I shall not be afraid…: The young David who killed the lion and the bear, who killed Goliath!, and was a successful warrior and leader in Israel’s army, did not deny the presence of fear. There were times when he was afraid. Yet he knew what to do with that fear, to boldly proclaim His trust in God despite the fear. When David volunteered to fight against Goliath, he said, "The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine" (1 Samuel 17:37). He knew where to turn, who to trust in! It is possible, then, for fear and faith to occupy the mind at the same moment.”
-- WORD…In God, whose word I praise In the midst of the declaration of his trust in God, David calls attention to the praiseworthiness of God’s word. His trust in God was directly connected with God’s word. His trust wasn’t a blind hope or wish cast up to heaven; it was based on God’s revealed character and revealed promises.
-- What can flesh do to me: Our instinctive reply to this rhetorical question is, a lot of harm!!!. We constantly hear of and experience great harm that comes from mankind. || just think of the news cycle…it is based on fear…or any || Yet in the context of David’s trust in the Most High, he realizes that with God for him, it doesn’t matter what man or men may be against him.
(PSALM 56:3-4)
“3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. 4 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?”
-- TRUST…When I am afraid, I put my trust in you… in God I trust; I shall not be afraid…: The young David who killed the lion and the bear, who killed Goliath!, and was a successful warrior and leader in Israel’s army, did not deny the presence of fear. There were times when he was afraid. Yet he knew what to do with that fear, to boldly proclaim His trust in God despite the fear. When David volunteered to fight against Goliath, he said, "The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine" (1 Samuel 17:37). He knew where to turn, who to trust in! It is possible, then, for fear and faith to occupy the mind at the same moment.”
-- WORD…In God, whose word I praise In the midst of the declaration of his trust in God, David calls attention to the praiseworthiness of God’s word. His trust in God was directly connected with God’s word. His trust wasn’t a blind hope or wish cast up to heaven; it was based on God’s revealed character and revealed promises.
-- What can flesh do to me: Our instinctive reply to this rhetorical question is, a lot of harm!!!. We constantly hear of and experience great harm that comes from mankind. || just think of the news cycle…it is based on fear…or any || Yet in the context of David’s trust in the Most High, he realizes that with God for him, it doesn’t matter what man or men may be against him.
DANGER ALL DAY LONG…
(PSALM 56:5-7)
“5 All day long they injure my cause; all their thoughts are against me for evil. 6 They stir up strife, they lurk; they watch my steps, as they have waited for my life. 7 For their crime will they escape? In wrath cast down the peoples, O God!”
-- ALL DAY LONG...Again David uses this phrase to describe how intense these attacks are and why he struggles with fear…it is all day long!
-- STIR UP STRIFE… The attacks against David were not only violent; they were also devious, with the twisting and distortion of his words and intentions. His many enemies constantly plotted against him for evil, hoping to lie in wait and kill David with a surprise attack. || when you are under attack from another person, it seems relentless, like you need to defend yourself, it brings about anxiety, and fear and can be debilitating without God’s intervention
-- Shall they escape by iniquity: David wanted God’s justice. He didn’t want these people to triumph over him. Whether they were the Philistines of Gath or Saul’s servants, David wanted God to cast them down, he even asked for God to do it. || we need to be careful here because David is being vulnerable and honest with us, but this is when we need to learn from him and his mistakes…it is okay to pray for justice, but sometimes we see David cry for destruction of his enemies, and God has called us to pray for our enemies, and those who persecute us || there is a balance here and we need to be aware of what is going on in the text
(PSALM 56:5-7)
“5 All day long they injure my cause; all their thoughts are against me for evil. 6 They stir up strife, they lurk; they watch my steps, as they have waited for my life. 7 For their crime will they escape? In wrath cast down the peoples, O God!”
-- ALL DAY LONG...Again David uses this phrase to describe how intense these attacks are and why he struggles with fear…it is all day long!
-- STIR UP STRIFE… The attacks against David were not only violent; they were also devious, with the twisting and distortion of his words and intentions. His many enemies constantly plotted against him for evil, hoping to lie in wait and kill David with a surprise attack. || when you are under attack from another person, it seems relentless, like you need to defend yourself, it brings about anxiety, and fear and can be debilitating without God’s intervention
-- Shall they escape by iniquity: David wanted God’s justice. He didn’t want these people to triumph over him. Whether they were the Philistines of Gath or Saul’s servants, David wanted God to cast them down, he even asked for God to do it. || we need to be careful here because David is being vulnerable and honest with us, but this is when we need to learn from him and his mistakes…it is okay to pray for justice, but sometimes we see David cry for destruction of his enemies, and God has called us to pray for our enemies, and those who persecute us || there is a balance here and we need to be aware of what is going on in the text
GOD’S SYMPATHETIC CARE FOR DAVID…
GOD NOTICED DAVID’S FEAR AND MISERY…
(PSALM 56:8-9)
“8 You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? 9 Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call. This I know, that God is for me.”
-- You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle: This is a beautiful couple of verses. What a description of the care of God…that he counts how many times we toss in our sleep, he captures our tears and puts them in a bottle, he journals and writes down all of the fears and pain and misery we experience in life || There is an intimacy with these ideas, the depth of God’s knowledge of all of the inner workings of our life. Fear is no different, and he knows, cares, and gives us protection and love in our most vulnerable moments || that is super comforting to me || one of the reasons I love this Psalm
-- This I know, that God is for me: Isn’t this Great to know!??! We see Paul say the same thing in Romans 8
(PSALM 56:8-9)
“8 You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? 9 Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call. This I know, that God is for me.”
-- You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle: This is a beautiful couple of verses. What a description of the care of God…that he counts how many times we toss in our sleep, he captures our tears and puts them in a bottle, he journals and writes down all of the fears and pain and misery we experience in life || There is an intimacy with these ideas, the depth of God’s knowledge of all of the inner workings of our life. Fear is no different, and he knows, cares, and gives us protection and love in our most vulnerable moments || that is super comforting to me || one of the reasons I love this Psalm
-- This I know, that God is for me: Isn’t this Great to know!??! We see Paul say the same thing in Romans 8
IT IS GOD’S WORD THAT GIVES US CONFIDENCE…
(PSALM 56:10-11)
“10 In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise, 11 in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?”
-- In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise: For the second and third times in this psalm, David declared the greatness of God’s word. This was how he knew that God was for him. It wasn’t just a wish, a dream, or a hope. It was well-grounded, because God said it in His word.
-- in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?: David repeated this phrase again, preaching confidence to himself. Because God was for him (confirmed by His word), David need not fear what man could do to him.
(PSALM 56:10-11)
“10 In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise, 11 in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?”
-- In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise: For the second and third times in this psalm, David declared the greatness of God’s word. This was how he knew that God was for him. It wasn’t just a wish, a dream, or a hope. It was well-grounded, because God said it in His word.
-- in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?: David repeated this phrase again, preaching confidence to himself. Because God was for him (confirmed by His word), David need not fear what man could do to him.
SERVE, THANK AND WALK…
(PSALM 56:12-13)
“12 I must perform my vows to you, O God; I will render thank offerings to you. 13 For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.”
-- I must perform my vows to you, O God; I will render thank offerings to you:
1. I will continue to serve the Lord in my times of fear (keep my vows)
2. I will continue to offer thanks in my times of fear (a sacrifice of praise, it isn’t easy to say thank you in challenging times)
-- For you have delivered my soul from death,: On his way to Gath, in Gath, and on his way from Gath, David’s life was in constant danger. God and God alone delivered His life from his enemies, and kept his feet from falling.
-- ...that I may walk before God in the light of life:
I will continue to walk before God in my times of fear (filled with, in step with the Holy Spirit bearing his fruit in my life, I won’t walk away into the darkness but will walk in his light) || David knew that this was why God spared his life. It wasn’t so that David could do his own thing or live unto himself. It was so that he could live rightly before God.
(PSALM 56:12-13)
“12 I must perform my vows to you, O God; I will render thank offerings to you. 13 For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.”
-- I must perform my vows to you, O God; I will render thank offerings to you:
1. I will continue to serve the Lord in my times of fear (keep my vows)
2. I will continue to offer thanks in my times of fear (a sacrifice of praise, it isn’t easy to say thank you in challenging times)
-- For you have delivered my soul from death,: On his way to Gath, in Gath, and on his way from Gath, David’s life was in constant danger. God and God alone delivered His life from his enemies, and kept his feet from falling.
-- ...that I may walk before God in the light of life:
I will continue to walk before God in my times of fear (filled with, in step with the Holy Spirit bearing his fruit in my life, I won’t walk away into the darkness but will walk in his light) || David knew that this was why God spared his life. It wasn’t so that David could do his own thing or live unto himself. It was so that he could live rightly before God.
Because of what God has revealed about himself in his Word, we can trust him in our times of fear.
— When I am afraid I will not be afraid…I will trust that you have my best in mind and I will trust that you are protecting me
— When I am afraid I will continue to serve you
— When I am afraid I will continue to thank you
— When I am afraid I will continue to walk with you
— When I am afraid I will not be afraid…I will trust that you have my best in mind and I will trust that you are protecting me
— When I am afraid I will continue to serve you
— When I am afraid I will continue to thank you
— When I am afraid I will continue to walk with you
RESPOND, REFLECT & COMMUNION
I would like to give you a chance to respond to God…
—> LETS TAKE A MINUTE TO THANK HIM, RESPOND TO HIM…
—> WHAT IS JESUS SAYING TO YOU TODAY?
—> WHAT IS JESUS ASKING YOU TO DO?
I would like to give you a chance to respond to God…
—> LETS TAKE A MINUTE TO THANK HIM, RESPOND TO HIM…
—> WHAT IS JESUS SAYING TO YOU TODAY?
—> WHAT IS JESUS ASKING YOU TO DO?