What Fear Taught Me About My Faith (Psalm 55-58)

Is fear creeping back into your life? The psalms remind us fear isn’t conquered once it’s something we bring to God again and again.

What Fear Taught Me About My Faith (Psalm 55-58)

Psalm 55-58

Today's Scripture Passage

A Few Thoughts to Consider

Is something in your life causing you to be fearful today?

Just when we think we’ve got a grip on fear, it seems to raise its ugly head once more. This is a theme we see in the psalms. Chapter after chapter, various psalmists bring their fears to God, revealing that fear isn’t something we master. It’s a daily reality we must combat. This is where David is at in Psalm 56.

This psalm was likely composed during a particularly vulnerable time when he was captured by the Philistines in Gath (as recounted in 1 Samuel 21:10-15), where David, fleeing from King Saul, sought refuge in Gath but found himself in danger from another king, Achish. As Derek Kidner writes, “To have fled from Saul to Gath of all places, the home town of Goliath, took the courage of despair; it measured David’s estimate of his standing with his people.”[1]

Verse 1 says, “Be gracious to me, God, for a man is trampling me; he fights and oppresses me all day long.” Gerald Wilson notes, “The enemy is depicted like a hound in full pursuit, snapping at the fleeing psalmist’s heels.”[2] Three times, the phrase “all day long” is used, indicating there is no letup from this assault.

Still, in verses 3-4, David says:

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 mere mortals do to me?

Even though he fears for his life, he continues to trust in God. David recognizes that if God is on his side, no enemy can stand against him. Reflecting on this psalm, John Goldingay wrote:

Psalm 56 interweaves talk of fear and of trust in a way that might look contradictory but reflects the way things are in such a crisis. When we speak of people involved in acts of bravery, we sometimes speak of them as fearless, but people who are fearless are probably stupid, and their action involves neither courage nor trust in God. Fear is a God-created human instinct that encourages us to avoid danger; fear led many sensible people to evacuate their homes as Hurricane Irene approached. It is when a person undertakes an act of bravery in circumstances of which they are properly fearful that they show courage.[3]

That last sentence is especially impactful. While trusting in God amid tremendous opposition might leave you feeling weak and powerless, the truth is that this is when you are at your strongest.