Day 2 — When I Am Afraid

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

— Psalm 56:3–4 (BSB)

What are you afraid of? Maybe spiders or the dark. Maybe getting lost, or speaking in front of the class, or something bad happening to your family. Everyone is afraid of something.

David wrote Psalm 56 at one of the scariest times of his life. King Saul was trying to kill him, so David ran away to a city called Gath. But Gath was the hometown of Goliath, the giant David had defeated! The Philistines there recognized him and grabbed him. David was surrounded by enemies with nowhere to run. (You can read about it in 1 Samuel 21.)

Look at the very first words David wrote in today’s verse: “When I am afraid.” Not if I am afraid, but when. David was brave. He had killed a lion, a bear and a giant. But he still got scared sometimes. Being afraid is part of being human.

Fear isn’t a sin. It’s a feeling. The important question is: what do you do with it?

David shows us: “When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.” When fear came, David turned toward God. He didn’t pretend he wasn’t scared. He took his fear straight to God and chose to trust Him.

It’s a little like being a small child in a crowded, noisy place. When the child gets scared, what does she do? She grabs her dad’s hand and holds on tight. The noise and crowd don’t disappear, but she feels safe, because she’s holding on to someone strong.

Then something changed in David. By the next verse, he was saying, “I will not be afraid.” The situation hadn’t changed yet. His enemies were still there. But his heart had changed, because he remembered who was holding him.

You can do the same thing. When you feel afraid, say David’s words: “When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.” Say them out loud if you need to. Then hold on tight.

Think about it: What are you most afraid of right now? What would it look like to “put your trust” in God about it?

Try this: Memorize Psalm 56:3: “When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.” Use it the very next time you feel scared.

Dear God, sometimes I’m afraid. Thank You that I can bring my fears to You. When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. Hold me tight, and help my heart not to be afraid. In Jesus’ name, Amen.