Psalm 56:3-4

Psalm 56:3–4

3 When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. 

4 In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?

This Psalm, by David, is a miktham, a tough word to define but it seems to indicate that this is a very special or "golden" teaching.

Upon reading the first 2 verses, we see that David has been having a pretty rough time. The Phillistines have seized him in Gath and they are "proudly" fighting against him. This puts David's comments in vs 3 & 4 in a context of concern and fear that his enemies are dominating him. 

Then, in verse 3, David says, "I am afraid", the word for afraid means literally "to fear". This seems fairly straight forward but the gold in this golden lesson lingers in this phrase. 

David openly acknowledges that the things some people do can cause us to walk in fear.  People can say and do hurtful things to us and to the ones we love. No one enjoys that sort of thing and the possibility that it can happen, then happen again, can cause great apprehension. Fear is a reality we all have to deal with at one time or anther. It is not a weakness we have, it is an element that arises from the fact that we live in a fallen and sinful world. It only becomes a problem, for a believer, when it begins to be the most compelling factor in our walk, causing us to respond more to the fear than to the Lord who indwells us and promises us He will take care of us and protect us.

David teaches us how to deal with fear, not how to avoid it. We deal with it by choosing to trust in God, by praising His name and His word. Our praise and worship of God expresses our love for Him and acknowledges His love for us. "Perfect love casts out fear". With the love and promises of God residing in us, flowing through us, what can any mere man do to us?