Fear 2

Today I'm reading Psalm 56.

For the Director of music. To the tune of 'A Dove on Distant Oaks.' Of David, a 'miktam.' When the Philistines had seized him in Gath.

1 Be merciful to me, O God, for men hotly pursue me;

all day long they press their attack.

2 My slanderers pursue me all day long;

many are attacking me in their pride.

3 When I am afraid, I will trust in you.

4 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid.

What can mortal man do to me?

5 All day long they twist my words;

they are always plotting to harm me.

6 They conspire, they lurk, they watch my steps,

eager to take my life.

7 On no account let them escape;in your anger,

O God, bring down the nations.

8 Record my lament; list my tears on your scroll--

are they not in your record?

9 Then my enemies will turn back when I call for help.

By this I will know that God is for me.

10 In God, whose word I praise,

in the LORD, whose word I praise--

11in God I trust; I will not be afraid.

What can man do to me?

12 I am under vows to you, O God;

I will present my thank offerings to you.

13 For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling,

that I may walk before God in the light of life.

I think people love the Psalms because they contain all the honest, raw emotions of life. And we see ourselves, our emotions in the writings of the Psalms. That's comforting - to know that our struggles are not strange or unusual, but are common to people who want to walk with God and have been around for a very long time. So fear is nothing new for people who sincerely want to follow the Lord.

This Psalm has always intrigued me, because it comes with such a great introduction. I want to know what it sounded like when it was sung to the tune of 'A Dove on Distant Oaks.' And nobody really knows what a 'miktam' is. But even more than that I always wonder at the transition in David's life from the adolescent warrior who showed no fear at all when he faced the massive Goliath and took his head with a sword he could barely lift, to this young man who is on the run from King Saul, who has to find a tenuous refuge in the camp of his sworn enemies, the Philistines. (read it in 1Samuel 21:10ff). His disguise doesn't fool the Philistines so his life is on the line. Now he's scared! What happened to David in the in-between years that made him susceptible to fear? Maybe he just didn't know what he was getting into with Goliath. Sometimes bravery and stupidity are close cousins.

But now he's got some raw fear coursing through his veins. And he turns to the Lord. I think God inspired his creativity because David's solution is to fein madness in the court of the Philistine King. And so they didn't think he was a threat to them at all. In fact, they got a kick out of seeing him in such a decrepit state. It wasn't magic, but it worked. Deception is always a part of warfare and David was a master at it. And he was a good actor. An academy award performance as a madman.

So, if you're facing a fearful situation, a little drooling never hurts. Just kidding. But you may want to pray for the Lord to inspire your creativity in dealing with the problem. Often fear paralyzes so we cannot think. We don't see options. We see only dead ends. Pray for the Lord to give you a better vantage point so you don't feel so closed in or trapped. Because that's where the fear comes from, feeling trapped with no good way out.

And use this psalm as you prayer today.

In God, whose word I praise,

in the LORD, whose word I praise--

in God I trust; I will not be afraid.

What can man do to me?

Jeff