COVID-19 Novel Encouragement Sample

WHEN I AM AFRAID

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. Psalm 56:3 (ESV)

David wrote Psalm 56 when he was seized by the Philistines while running from Saul’s army. David, running for his life from one murderer with an army of soldiers, runs into the arms of another jealous and dangerous enemy. He lived each day wondering not just if he might die that day, but if today might be the day someone would kill him. Yet, more than once in this psalm, he says, “I shall not be afraid.” (Psalm 56: 4, 11) How can he say that when he is on the run and in captivity?

When I Am Afraid

David could face horrifying trials because he knew where to turn in horrifying trials.

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me? Psalm 56: 3-4 (ESV)

He begins by saying, “When I am afraid . . . ” He acknowledges that the danger, the trial, the fear is real. He does not deny being afraid of Philistine confines, or in hiding from Saul. “I am afraid,” he confesses. But for not long. “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. . . . in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.” I am afraid for the moment, but I know where to turn when I am afraid. And when I cast my fears on him, he casts away all my fears. “I shall not be afraid.”

Anytime you see someone move from “I am afraid” to “I shall not be afraid,” you should ask: how? Knowing David overcame fear might mysteriously inspire someone who is afraid but unless he tells us how, his story will not help us face our own fears.

How to Trust in God

What happened for David between “I am afraid” and “I shall not be afraid”? He put his trust in God. So, put your trust in God when you are afraid? Yes, but does David say more about what it looked like to trust in God in the caves, in captivity, running for his life?

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me? Psalm 56: 3-4 (ESV)

When David put his trust in God, he put his trust, even his praise, in God’s word. He didn’t pray vague prayers of hope but anchored his pain and longing and fear in specific promises of God. When I am afraid, I cling to you in your word. Instead of dwelling on the terrifying mountains in front of me, I set my mind on what you have said to those who love you. Suddenly, the threats no longer seem threatening because they’re being drowned out by a louder voice.

God Is for You

David almost repeats himself near the end of Psalm 56:

This I know, that God is for me. In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. Psalm 56: 9b-11a (ESV)

What does it mean to trust in God? It means to trust what he says. And what does God say in his word?

I am for you. And if God is for you, who can be against you? (Romans 8: 31) When fears come — and they will come, even today — you know where to turn. You know the voice you need to hear, the voice that instills a peace that surpasses all understanding. And he says to you, “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16: 33). And because you are in him, and he lives in you, through faith, you have overcome the world (1 John 5: 4-5). You can say with David, “I shall not be afraid.”

By Catherine Pujianto