Psalm 56
Verse 34 When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.
We talked about how David would have been dealing with fear as he ran and found that he wasn’t as welcomed in Gath as he had hoped and this song written about the time he was being held by the Philistines reveals just how fearful he was. We also see how he tried to manage his fear.
First, he felt that he could get no rest because he felt hunted night and day. It is exhausting to be constantly looking over our shoulder fearing someone is coming up behind us. David had been running and now his problem was that he was being held in one place. That would make it easier to find him and it wasn’t that he was being held by friends. This was anything but an ideal situation.
Verses 3 and 4 make it seem he was trying to keep his spirit’s up by repeating what he knew to be true, that he could trust God. We do things like that too, don’t we? We know in our hearts we can trust God and He will work things out for our good and His glory but when we are in the midst of the trial, we have to remind ourselves He is there and can be trusted. He knows our trials and because of His care of us, we need to hold onto the truth that He is there and will do what will give Him greatest pleasure.
Next he reverts back to the people causing him the grief and tells of some of the things he feels they are doing to him. It isn’t that he thought God needed reminding of what was in plain sight for Him but David knew their ploys. He wasn’t oblivious to the actions of those who were tracking him, he knew why they were after him and clearly saw things that were happening to him and who was behind them.
David is open about the pain this caused him. It wasn’t just about the current circumstances, it was about what the whole situation meant. The king coming after him may have meant Jonathan was also being placed in a position where he was having to look for David. David had to leave his wife, the princess, Michal, behind and he didn’t know what would become of her, especially after she had helped him escape once. But this pain he was feeling didn’t keep him from trusting God and looking to Him for help.
Making It Personal
Have you ever been in a position where you were feeling attacked and didn’t know what was going to happen to you? Who did you turn to? Do you praise God for protecting you in and through your trials?
Making It Personal Kids
Do you ever feel sad about something that is happening in your life? Who do you ask for help? How does Jesus help you through those tough times?
Closing Prayer
Father, You alone are worthy of our trust. Thank You for guiding us though those times when we can’t see how our situation could ever turn out well. Give us the wisdom to know how You would have us act and think during those times. In Jesus’ name, amen.