We all know David as the "giant slayer", who fought a nine-foot tall Philistine champion and defeated him with a sling and a stone. He was just a ruddy boy, a shepherd. But little did they know he was an anointed of God, being prepared to be the next king of Israel. Goliath came with a giant sword, but all David had was a sling, a few stones, and his trust in God. What a story of faith and courage!
And when we attend bible studies, or listen to sermons, about David, we are always told to be as courageous, as confident, as David! We can defeat our giants! We can overcome as long as we are with the Lord.
To the point that when you show even a hint, or a shadow, of fear, of being afraid, you are rebuked and corrected by other believers. "Why are you afraid?", they will ask you. Do you not have the faith of David?
It comes to the point where we do not tell others that we are afraid. We hide what we are really feeling, to the point that we lie. People ask us "how are you?", and the answer we give is what we believe others want to hear - "I'm ok! I'm trusting in the Lord". When in reality we are afraid.
We are ashamed to say that we have seemingly lost our faith, and that we cannot stand before our giants.
"Why am I not like David?", we may ask ourselves. And we bow down in shame, thinking that we have failed the Lord.
But, was David always courageous in all his circumstances?
It is true that David does stand as an example of someone who had courage and faith when facing a nine foot tall giant. But did this mean that David was courageous all the time? Was there a time when he was afraid?
Psalm 56 gives us a glimpse of how David, just like us, had bouts with being afraid.
(3) When I am afraid, I will trust in you.
When I am afraid. In this song David was open about what he was feeling. And he had every reason to be afraid. Look at verses 1-3
(1)Be merciful to me, O God, for men hotly pursue me; all day long they press their attack. (2) My slanderers pursue me all day long; many are attacking me in their pride.
Most probably this was during the time of David when he was fleeing from king Saul, and he had to escape to Philistine territory. We see this in 1 Samuel 21.
1 Samuel 21:10-12 And David rose and fled that day from Saul and went to Achish the king of Gath. (11) And the servants of Achish said to him, "Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances, 'Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands'?" (12) And David took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath.
David found himself in the midst of people who did not like him, who looked at him as an enemy, and who could defeat them in battle. David felt this and, in verse 12, "WAS VERY MUCH AFRAID" of the situation he was in.
And all this happened after he defeated Goliath, and after his many victories in battle for Israel.
Yes, David was afraid. He shares this emotion, what he felt, in Psalm 56:3
It is only natural for a person, anyone, to experience fear. We are not supernatural beings. We are human beings, with emotions. And when we are faced with something bigger than us, it is only natural for us to be afraid.
But this does not mean we should REMAIN AFRAID.
Look again at what David says in the psalm. Yes, he shares his being afraid...but he also shares what he did with that fear:
(3) When I am afraid, I will trust in you. (4) In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?
He expressed his fear, but he also directed his heart to the One who could overcome that fear in his heart - "when I am afraid, I WILL TRUST IN YOU. IN GOD WHOSE WORD I PRAISE. IN GOD I TRUST. WHAT CAN MAN DO TO ME.
Yes, there will be times we will be afraid - of a circumstance, of a sickness, even of another person, that are so much bigger than us! But when that happens we need to set our hearts on our God, and proclaim our trust in Him.
This trust in God comes from our understanding of His WORD that we PRAISE!
We cannot trust someone that we do not know. Trust is not blind faith. We put our faith in the God that we grow to know and understand. That's where His Word comes in. This is how important it is for us to be growing in the Word, in our knowledge of who our God is. This is what strengthens us.
Then our God becomes bigger than our circumstance. That's why David could end this passage by saying "WHAT CAN MAN DO TO ME?".
In the latter part of his psalm David writes:
(9) Then my enemies will turn back when I call for help. By this I will know that God is for me. (10) In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise-- (11) in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
This time David doesn't say "when I am afraid" anymore, but he now is able to proclaim "I WILL NOT BE AFRAID". He knew his God was for him, the God whose Word he praised! This is the God he trusted in.
(7) On no account let them escape; in your anger, O God, bring down the nations. (8) Record my lament; list my tears on your scroll-- are they not in your record? (9) Then my enemies will turn back when I call for help. By this I will know that God is for me.
David remembered that his God would not let them escape. And David took comfort in the truth that God knew what he was going through, and that his tears were being recorded by God. In other words God knew what David was going through, and that He would be faithful to defend him.
David knew that his God was for him (vs.9)
(7) On no account let them escape; in your anger, O God, bring down the nations. (8) Record my lament; list my tears on your scroll-- are they not in your record? (9) Then my enemies will turn back when I call for help. By this I will know that God is for me.
David remembered that his God would not let them escape. And David took comfort in the truth that God knew what he was going through, and that his tears were being recorded by God. In other words God knew what David was going through, and that He would be faithful to defend him.
David knew that his God was for him (vs.9)
Because of David's trust in God and in His Word, he now could say "I WILL NOT BE AFRAID".
We can begin by being afraid, but our trust and knowledge of our God moves us to trust in Him, taking away the fear.
Like David we can experience our "Goliath" victories, and then later on come to a point where we become afraid. But it shouldn't end there, we shouldn't stay afraid. This emotion should lead us back to our God, to His Word, so that our knowledge of who He is prepares our hearts to trust in Him.
So, should we be ashamed of being afraid, or hide what we are feeling when faced with circumstances that seem to be bigger than us? No.
But our being afraid should cause us to look to the One who is bigger than our circumstance. Like David we can proclaim - "when I am afraid, I will trust in You, in the Lord whose Word I praise"!
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