Overcoming Fear with Faith: The Psalmist's Assurance
Psalm 56:3 What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
When we speak of faith, courage, boldness, and confidence in the power of God, sometimes we speak as if we never struggle with real fear. What man is there that could honestly say that they have so much faith that they are never shaken? I dare say that there is none! The truth is, even as the Psalmist expressed in our text, we learn to trust in the Lord because of the very existence of fear; “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” It is not the mere fact that we never cope with fear, but rather that in doing so we shift our focus from that which we are afraid of to He whom we trust! It is not the absence of fear that enables us to believe, but rather it is the existence of fear which necessitates our faith! As I have said before, faith does not deny reality; it simply defies it. Were it not for the times in which I was terrified of what might become of myself, I would not have with such intensity and fervor ran to the Rock of my salvation! That’s why the child of God is able to overcome any obstacle, because we have a Refuge to run to! One thing is for sure, God has never let me down! Psalm 142:3a also says, “When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path.” Isn’t it reassuring to know that even when our faith is weak, He is yet strong? He doesn’t need a whole lot of faith to work with, just enough to measure up to the size of a grain of mustard seed! God can use our small faith to overcome our massive doubt! “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” (see Mark 9:24). Rom 3:3-4a says, “For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid:” We therefore understand that since Jesus is the author of our faith, He shall also be the finisher (Heb 12:2)! When we place our trust in Christ, we are simply activating the faith that HE has deposited into our hearts by the Word of God (Rom 10:17)! Therefore, though our faith may get weak at times, HIS faith remains pure! We simply need to go back to the Word of God that deposited that seed of faith in its purest form to start with, and then bank on it! When we do, we shall say even as David, “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.”
~ Pastor Gary Caudill
When we speak of faith, courage, boldness, and confidence in the power of God, sometimes we speak as if we never struggle with real fear. What man is there that could honestly say that they have so much faith that they are never shaken? I dare say that there is none! The truth is, even as the Psalmist expressed in our text, we learn to trust in the Lord because of the very existence of fear; “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” It is not the mere fact that we never cope with fear, but rather that in doing so we shift our focus from that which we are afraid of to He whom we trust! It is not the absence of fear that enables us to believe, but rather it is the existence of fear which necessitates our faith! As I have said before, faith does not deny reality; it simply defies it. Were it not for the times in which I was terrified of what might become of myself, I would not have with such intensity and fervor ran to the Rock of my salvation! That’s why the child of God is able to overcome any obstacle, because we have a Refuge to run to! One thing is for sure, God has never let me down! Psalm 142:3a also says, “When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path.” Isn’t it reassuring to know that even when our faith is weak, He is yet strong? He doesn’t need a whole lot of faith to work with, just enough to measure up to the size of a grain of mustard seed! God can use our small faith to overcome our massive doubt! “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” (see Mark 9:24). Rom 3:3-4a says, “For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid:” We therefore understand that since Jesus is the author of our faith, He shall also be the finisher (Heb 12:2)! When we place our trust in Christ, we are simply activating the faith that HE has deposited into our hearts by the Word of God (Rom 10:17)! Therefore, though our faith may get weak at times, HIS faith remains pure! We simply need to go back to the Word of God that deposited that seed of faith in its purest form to start with, and then bank on it! When we do, we shall say even as David, “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.”
~ Pastor Gary Caudill