When I Am Afraid

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.” — Psalm 56:3

Do you remember when King Saul was jealous of David and tried to kill him? David had to run away and hide.

One day, the Bible tells us, David ran all the way to a city called Gath. It was a Philistine city, the home town of Goliath, the giant David had beaten! David was hoping nobody would recognise him there.

But they did. “Isn’t this David?” the king’s servants said. “Isn’t this the one the women sang about, ‘Saul has killed his thousands, and David his tens of thousands’?”

Now David was in terrible danger. He was surrounded by enemies. He was very much afraid.

So David pretended to be mad. He scribbled on the doors of the city gate, and let spit run down into his beard. The king of Gath thought he was out of his mind, and let him go. David escaped.

The heading of Psalm 56 tells us that David wrote it about that time, “when the Philistines seized him in Gath.” And this is part of what he wrote:

“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?”

David was a brave man. He had fought a lion and a bear and a giant. But he still got frightened sometimes. And he didn’t pretend he wasn’t scared. He said, “When I am afraid...”

Not “if” I am afraid. “When.” Everyone feels afraid sometimes, even brave people. Even grown-ups. Even kings.

But David knew what to do with his fear. He gave it to God. “When I am afraid, I will trust in You.”

David also wrote that God keeps a record of all our tears and troubles (Psalm 56:8). God sees every time we’re afraid. He cares about every tear.

The next time you feel afraid, at night in the dark, or before something hard, or when you’re worried about someone you love, you can say David’s words: “When I am afraid, I will trust in You.” It’s a short prayer. You can say it anywhere, any time.

Read it in your Bible: 1 Samuel 21:10–15; Psalm 56

Dear God, when I am afraid, I will trust in you. Thank you that you see every one of my tears and care about every one of my worries. Amen.