Originally published by The Round Farmhouse on July 9, 2025.
“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?” (Psalm 56:3-4, ESV)
When I was little my mom played a cassette tape of Bible verse songs in the car. I admit I didn’t care for the songs (or maybe it was the singers), but one song stuck with me: a song based on these verses from Psalm 56. I’ve sung the song several times since first hearing it from the backseat of the car. I sang it driving through snowstorms and thunderstorms. I sang it before job interviews. I sang it when I got medical results I didn’t care for. In fact, I sang it recently, only to unintentionally open my Bible to Psalm 56 the following day.
Hence me writing about it now.
Because I’m afraid of a lot of things. I’m human, so it’s going to happen. I’m afraid of big things, and I’m afraid of little things. I’m consciously afraid of some things and unconsciously afraid of other things. And I have no illusions that there will come a day on Earth when I won’t be afraid.
But it’s what I do in that fear that makes all the difference.
“In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?” (Psalm 56:10-11, ESV)
In the same book, same chapter, just a few verses later, David reiterates his own words. Now, I’m hopeful that I’ll never experience the kind of situation that inspired David to write these words: He was seized by the Philistines. The verses in between these stanzas describe what is being done to him, and yet he puts his trust in God. And don’t miss this: he praises God. He takes action. He keeps God at the center of the situation through praise and trust, recognizing that doing so removes the fear he feels.
I need to get better at this, at praising and trusting before letting my mind spiral down a rabbit hole of fearful possibilities. Join me in keeping God at the center of our fear, knowing and trusting that He will guide us through it while letting us feel Him holding us in His arms.
