“When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?”
-Psalm 56:3-4
I’m studying the Psalms this summer and learned today that David wrote this Psalm when he was surrounded by enemies, feeling VERY afraid of losing his life. And there in the face of that very real and visceral fear, David makes this proclamation: “I will trust in you.” That is so beautiful to me. I love watching David boss around his emotions. He doesn’t hide his feelings. He’s very authentic and raw, but he generally directs his feelings, no matter what they are, towards God.
So when we are afraid, we can choose to trust instead of dwelling in the fear. We can choose to “praise God’s word” just like David did. That does seem to be how he moves his soul from fear to trust, by praising God’s word, but honestly, that phrase feels strange to me. What does it mean to “praise” God’s word? Keller explained that, “you can’t praise something without first looking at it, numbering its beauties, reflecting on its benefits, and adoring it. “ I can tell you this. I have never regretted looking at God’s word and numbering it’s beauties. I’m so grateful for the way it has helped me remember who God is and how He loves me, and for the way that remembering His love usually starts to drive away any fear that’s trying to take over me. Lord, help me to trust You. Help me to look at your word and number it’s beauties so I can move from fear to faith.
