Psalm 56:1–13 (ESV):
1 Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me;
all day long an attacker oppresses me;
2 my enemies trample on me all day long,
for many attack me proudly.
3 When I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can flesh do to me?
5 All day long they injure my cause;
all their thoughts are against me for evil.
6 They stir up strife, they lurk;
they watch my steps,
as they have waited for my life.
7 For their crime will they escape?
In wrath cast down the peoples, O God!
8 You have kept count of my tossings;
put my tears in your bottle.
Are they not in your book?
9 Then my enemies will turn back
in the day when I call.
This I 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 shall not be afraid.
What can man do to me?
12 I must perform my vows to you, O God;
I will render thank offerings to you.
13 For you have delivered my soul from death,
yes, my feet from falling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life.
Even though David is undergoing strife, he still has hope and confidence. He is oppressed and attacked, yet this is not the focus of this psalm, why is that?
This I know, that God is for me.
Wow! This is what David says even when life is troubled and terrifying, when things are not going his way and he doesn’t like it, David still is assured that God supports him! What is your response when you are battling and afraid? When things are not going your way? Do you, as David did, ‘put my trust’ in God because you are assured of His love and support? Or do you have one of the common responses of; fight, flight or freeze? We are taught, aren’t we, that these are the three responses of the primitive brain to danger; fight, flight or freeze. Yet David seems to have come up with a fourth! An alternative reaction to the dilemmas that you face - know that God is for you. In the midst of trouble David assures himself of this. He doesn’t let his primitive brain get in control, instead he focuses on what he knows is real and true - God is for him. If you are living your life following God, then you too can repeat David’s words and say, ’This I know, that God is for me.’ It may not look like it, or feel like it but this is the truth. You may feel frightened, oppressed, forgotten, hurt, yet the truth still is that God is for you. It doesn't change just because life gets hard or scary.
‘When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.’
Do you do that? In a time of difficulty and trouble where do you turn? Where do you get your confidence and solutions from when there is a dilemma? There’s only one response that can give you the best outcome, and that is turning to God and relying on Him to sort out the issue. Anything else may release endorphins or stress, make you feel better for a moment, but nothing else can produce a powerful, long-term solution. Only God can be depended upon to bring out the best of a bad situation, do you stick with Him when life gets tough?
David has discovered through his life that God has always been constant. God has provided for and sustained him, and so he is sure that God will now too. Just because life gets difficult, doesn’t mean that God has disappeared or doesn’t care any more or that his favour has run out. Sometimes we can mistakenly believe this of God because we know what we are like as humans! Yet God is constant. He has always provided for and sustained you, so you can be assured of His continued favour, strength, love and care even in the times of attack and oppression. Therefore, learn to, ‘when I am afraid, I trust in you’ and remind yourself, ‘that God is for me’. These are the keys to knowing peace in turmoil, assurance in persecution and love through trials. David discovered it, and he shares his secret with you today. When you set your mind to trust in God, He has a way through every situation, will you trust in Him?
"This I know, that God is for me."
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