In Isaiah 12:2 we read, “I will trust, and not be afraid.” Psalm 56:3 says, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.”[1] What, at first reading, may seem contradictory is really just an accurate depiction of our human experience. We resolve not to live in fear (Isaiah 12:2), but then new circumstances arise that cause us great fear (Psalm 56:3). It is revealing of the lovingkindness of God that He gives us words that both acknowledge our experience living in a broken world and provide us the hope we need to continue to live courageously. Psalm 56 is one such passage.
Psalm 56 is organized by a chorus, which appears in verses 3–4 (NIV; see also vv. 10–11):
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise—
in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?
In this chorus, David makes a bold declaration: he is not afraid of mortal man because he trusts in God and His Word. At this point in history, David did not have much of God’s written Word. However, it was enough to reveal God’s character and enough light to sustain His faith. You and I have much more reason to be courageous and not fear man’s schemes. We have the complete revelation of God, who became incarnate in Jesus Christ.
In the midst of his fear, David asks, “What can mortal man do to me?” (v. 3, NIV). On one level, the answer to His question would seem to be, “Well, a lot!” We have seen humans do horrendous things. Perhaps you have been the victim of their evil. Despots murder millions of innocents. White-robed thugs lynch and oppress in a diabolical lust for racial supremacy. Terrorists take down airplanes, killing hundreds. A serial killer viciously murders scores of women over decades. Humans do a lot to humans, so there is a lot to be afraid of.
But there is nothing that man can do to us ultimately. If Christ is your Savior, nothing else—whether physical harm, emotional abuse, or even death—has the final say for you. David had a concept of heaven; he was able to look beyond this life to that which is to come. However, notice that David says God offers something in this life as well, something stronger than life’s tragedies—God’s “word” (vv. 4, 10).
God’s word—what God says to us—assures us of God’s ultimate, merciful protection. In verse 1, David’s realization of his vulnerability thrusts him on God’s mercy. Many years later, Peter will assure us that God’s eternal mercy is a secure refuge:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade–kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. (1 Peter 1:3–6, NIV)
Even if someone takes your life, this is not the end. To die is to pass immediately into glory, and someday you will receive a resurrected body (2 Corinthians 5:8). No mortal can prevent that. You are physically protected into all of eternity by the mercy of God. That is true hope.
God’s Word points us to God’s mercy, and it also points us to the peace God provides. This peace is an emotional refuge more profound than any circumstance. In verse 2 (NIV), David seems to say that the slander he is experiencing from Saul and his men is worse than the fear of physical capture: “My adversaries pursue me all day long; in their pride many are attacking me.” Sometimes, words do hurt us more than sticks or stones!
However, when a believer fixes his or her mind on the character of God, no matter what trials, attacks, spiritual battles, or illnesses may harass us, God promises He will give us peace (Isaiah 26:3). Sometimes it is called a peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:7). It is the image of the eye of a storm. The child of God may be surrounded by trouble, but he is at peace. “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies” (Psalm 23:5). God’s mercy is what creates the eye of the storm and makes space for that peace. The Christian always has a safe place from which to join David on the chorus, “When I am afraid . . . I put my trust in you.” (v. 3, NIV, emphasis added).
[1] See Charles H. Spurgeon, “Fearing and Trusting—Trusting and Not Fearing,” a sermon delivered on July 10, 1913.
This article was excerpted from Soul Anatomy.