Verse of the Day 11/11

Verse of the Day 11/11

 

Psalm 56:3-4  But when I am afraid,
    I will put my trust in you.
⁴ 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?  New Living Translation (NLT)

 

One of the many things that I admire about David was his honesty about life and faith.  Many who are in high positions are reluctant to share any fears, worries or concerns with anyone, let alone "outsiders", people not in your inner circle.  David, the man after God's own heart, shares what is on his heart with God and also with all who through the ages continue to read his words as preserved in the Bible, especially in the book of Psalms.  The key thing is that he admits at being afraid at times but also that in and through those times, he puts his trust in God.

 

Being chased by a king and his army would be enough to make anyone fear for their life.  But David could look back at his taking on Goliath as a teenager and defeating him with the help of God.  He fought bears, lions and enemy armies and God delivered him from them.  That's probably where the last line from the verses above come from, "what can mere mortals do to me?".

 

We will face our share of anxieties but the key is to hold onto our faith and trust in God to see us through those times.

 

John Piper writes, "When anxiety strikes and blurs our vision of God's glory and the greatness of the future that he plans for us, this does not mean that we are faithless, or that we will not make it to heaven. It means our faith is being attacked. …Notice: it does not say, "I never struggle with fear." Fear strikes, and the battle begins. So the Bible does not assume that true believers will have no anxieties. Instead the Bible tells us how to fight when they strike. At first blow, our belief in God's promises may sputter and swerve. But whether we stay on track and make it to the finish line depends on whether, by grace, we set in motion a process of resistance — whether we fight back against the unbelief of anxiety."

 

So if you face another "blow" and sputter or swerve in facing them, stay on track, keep trusting.

 

This reminds me of the chorus that I learned way back in Sunday School.  I'm sure that David would have sung it regularly if it had been around in his time.

 

I just keep trusting my Lord as I walk a long
I just keep trusting my Lord and He gives a song
Though the storm clouds darken the sky o'er the heav'nly trail
I just keep trusting my Lord, He will never fail

He's a faithful friend, such a faithful friend
I can count on Him to the very end
Though the storm clouds darken the sky o'er the heav'nly trail
I just keep trusting my Lord, He will never fail

 

I just keep trusting my Lord on the narrow way
I just keep trusting my Lord as He leads each day
Though the road is weary at times and I'm sad and blue
I just keep trusting my Lord, He will see me through

He's a faithful guide, such a faithful guide
He is always there walking by my side
Though the road is weary at times and I'm sad and blue
I just keep trusting my Lord, He will se me through

--   In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV

 

Psalm 56 New King James Version (NKJV)

Prayer for Relief from Tormentors

To the Chief Musician. Set to ^[a]"The Silent Dove in Distant Lands." A Michtam of David when the Philistines captured him in Gath.

56 Be merciful to me, O God, for man would swallow me up;
Fighting all day he oppresses me.
² My enemies would hound me all day,
For there are many who fight against me, O Most High.

³ Whenever I am afraid,
I will trust in You.
⁴ In God (I will praise His word),
In God I have put my trust;
I will not fear.
What can flesh do to me?

⁵ All day they twist my words;
All their thoughts are against me for evil.
⁶ They gather together,
They hide, they mark my steps,
When they lie in wait for my life.
⁷ Shall they escape by iniquity?
In anger cast down the peoples, O God!

⁸ You number my wanderings;
Put my tears into Your bottle;
Are they not in Your book?
⁹ When I cry out to You,
Then my enemies will turn back;
This I know, because God is for me.
¹⁰ In God (I will praise His word),
In the Lord (I will praise His word),
¹¹ In God I have put my trust;
I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?

¹² Vows made to You are binding upon me, O God;
I will render praises to You,
¹³ For You have delivered my soul from death.
Have You not kept my feet from falling,
That I may walk before God
In the light of the living?