Fear is a very common experience for most of us. We feel threatened in certain circumstances and sometimes it’s difficult to know how to cope.
I think the psalmist experienced that and described it this way in Psalm 56:1, “Be merciful to me, oh God, for men hotly pursue me. All day long they press their attack. My slanderers pursue me all day long. Many are attacking me in their pride.” He continues in verse 5, “All day long they twist my words; they are always plotting to harm me. They conspire, they lurk, they watch my steps, eager to take my life.”
I imagine, if this were true in your life you probably would experience fear or be gripped with a certain amount of “angst,” as they say. But what does the psalmist say? How does he cope in such a circumstance?
He declares in verse 3, “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 mortal man do to me?” Again in verses 10 and 11 he says, “In God whose Word I praise, in the Lord, whose Word I praise – in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”
I’d suggest, first of all, you turn to God and cry out to Him. Then read His Word and allow it to encourage you, to challenge you, to give you hope, to give you promises to strengthen you. Also, trust in God’s Word to give you assurance that the One who is with you, if you’ve trusted in Christ, is greater than whoever is out there in the world.
In Him you can stand strong and live for His honor and glory. Trust in God, praise Him for His Word and resist the enemy!
