Sometimes the people we meet in the Bible can feel remote and far different from us, but man oh man, there are some real gems of relatability if you’re looking for them. There’s Moses’ panicked excuse making, the disciples missing the lesson Jesus is imparting but trying to act like they get it, and let’s not forget Elijah saying he wants to die and then feeling a lot better about life after a nap and a snack.
But no book of the Bible is jam packed with relatability quite like Psalms. Page after page of people pouring their hearts out to God in ways that make me point and say “Oh look! It’s me!”
In one such highly relatable Psalm, David calls on God in fear and distress and the result is a blueprint of fear that we could all use a little more of in our lives.
The Bible tells us Psalm 56 was written about the time David was seized by the Philistines at Gath. I don’t want to cut a long story short but this was not a good time for David. And when the Psalm begins, David is determined to keep his faith in God even though things are going terribly for him. “O God, have mercy on me, for people are hounding me. My foes attack me all day long. I am constantly hounded by those who slander me, and many are boldly attacking me. But 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 56:1-4)
Strong start! Things are bad but David seems calm and collected and perfectly aware of who he should trust in. Which is why it’s all the more poignant what comes next. “They are always twisting what I say; they spend their days plotting to harm me. They come together to spy on me— watching my every step, eager to kill me. Don’t let them get away with their wickedness; in your anger, O God, bring them down.” (Psalm 56:5-7)
David just asked what could mortals do to him and then goes into fearful distressed detail on exactly that. Our guy is not doing well.
But what I think is so important here is that this section comes after David was just saying he will trust in God. He just said he would trust God and here he is crying about how bad things are again. Our man David isn’t just writing about being afraid. He is actively afraid.
Anxiety is a big battle in my life. I’ve had enough tough things happen that it’s hard for my brain for my brain to accept that bad things aren’t going to keep happening. It’s a pain, honestly. What makes it worse, is anxiety often feels like something we need to hide or shut away if we’re ever going to have courage or trust God.
Nothing could be further from the truth. David certainly knew that as he poured his heart out to God in this Psalm.
It is entirely possible to be completely and totally afraid and still be faithful to God. Think of Jesus in the garden before his execution, overwhelmed with stress and fear to the point of sweating blood and asking God to take the cup from him but still resolving to do his Father’s will. Both are possible. While we may rather not feel fear, our anxiety doesn’t stop God. My inability to stop feeling afraid has never had bearing on God’s ability to handle the situation.
As for pretending the fear away, trying to hide the fact that you’re afraid doesn’t solve anything. It only prolongs the problem. And when we hide (or rather try to hide) it from God we deprive ourselves of the only one who can actually fully help us with our fear and bear us through it. No one can help us through our fear like God, and we’re not a disappointment to him for experiencing fear in the first place. He knows our shortcomings and just how human we are, and he still calls us to him. Like a parent helping their child get unstuck, God wants us to come to him with our problems and anxieties rather than hiding it and letting it just get worse.
And I know, it’s really tempting to try to tamp down that fear and keep it out of sight. We want to say we’re unafraid and give God the glory for it. But fear is going to be a very real part of our lives, just like David. We don’t save ourselves any time or give God more glory by pretending not to be afraid. But those who can feel terrified and still say “Your will be done” honor God more fully than those pretending not to be afraid in the first place.
And fear is not forever. The wave of anxiety we feel will ebb again. Just as God delivered David from fear time and time again, he will do the same for you. God will bring you to, through, and out the other side again. As David put it in Psalm 56 closing, “For you have rescued me from death; you have kept my feet from slipping. So now I can walk in your presence, O God, in your life-giving light.” (Psalm 56:13)
Let’s find some joy,
A
Avalon Robinson Author 