“When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?” (Psalm 56:3-4)
Heavenly Father, King David said it best: “When I am afraid, I will trust in you.” (Psalm 56:3). Not “On the rare occasion, if I ever should feel the vulnerable emotion of fear”; but “When I am anxious, worried, and fearful—I will trust in the Lord.” David assumed the normalcy fear; but 1000 times more so he assumed your faithfulness, trustworthiness, presence, and grace.
There is no sin in being afraid, but we can misspend our fears so easily—just like our money. In fact we can be wise or poor stewards of a wide range of challenging human experiences and messy feelings this side of heaven. Father, help and free us. Grant us grace not to waste…
- Our suffering on self-pity
- Our betrayals on bitterness
- Our anger on spirit-cancer
- Our loneliness on “a fling”
- Our worries on ulcers
- Our losses on blaming
- Our hurts on self-medicating
Better to cast our cares on you (1 Peter 5:7) than to keep cramming them into the back backs we lug through life or weaponize them in ways that hurt people we love, or rob and wreck our mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical health.
Before the Day of perfect health arrives. Before your glory fills the earth, Abba. Before we know the outcome of our children’s stories. Before Jesus finishes making all things new. Before wolves and lambs lie down together. Before cancer and evil, human trafficking and hurricanes, all meanness and every heartache are eradicated, we will trust in you, beloved Father. Grant us need-shaped grace and your peace-giving presence. So Very Amen.
