When Fear Meets Faith

INTRO: Have you ever felt overwhelmed? Alone, depressed out of your mind, afraid, quite simply defeated? Here we David in Gath

English Standard Version (Psalm 56)

Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me;all day long an attacker oppresses me;2  my enemies trample on me all day long,for many attack me proudly.3  When I am afraid,I put my trust in you.4  In God, whose word I praise,in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.What can flesh do to me?5  All day long they injure my cause;all their thoughts are against me for evil.6  They stir up strife, they lurk;they watch my steps,as they have waited for my life.7  For their crime will they escape?In wrath cast down the peoples, O God!8  You have kept count of my tossings;put my tears in your bottle.Are they not in your book?9  Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call.This I know, that God is for me.10  In God, whose word I praise,in the LORD, whose word I praise,11  in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.What can man do to me?12  I must perform my vows to you, O God;I will render thank offerings to you.13  For you have delivered my soul from death,yes, my feet from falling,that I may walk before God in the light of life.

PRAY!!!

David felt overwhelmed

David tells us that he was dogged all day long. You know the feeling, just one attack after another all day, everyday. It can absolutely drive you into despair.

David reminds himself in the mercy, mindfulness and might of God. That is always a great way to face a hopeless, bad situation. Life will always present us situations that are beyond our control, whether at home, work, in our family, in our church. We have to remember God is able! David had stepped outside God’s circle, so the very first thing he reminds himself of, is: God is merciful

David was afraid

Listen, he was in a tight spot, they wanted him dead. He says “they lurk” they “stir up strife”, “they watch” me, “they are waiting” for me. He was straight up scared, remember this is a mighty warrior who slayed his tens of thousands, he slayed lions and bears. David begins this verse in fear but in a NY min turns fear on it’s head When I am afraid I put my trust in you

Psalm 56:3 “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.”

That’s the winning formula right there! If life was all good, all the time, we would have little need to exercise faith

David was alone

We've all been there, or at least felt like it.

Three implications for our lives

Exalting Jesus in Psalms 51-100 Three Implications for Our Lives

So, how do you move from fear to faith? What do you do when you’re overwhelmed, when you are wrongfully opposed, or when you feel alone or afraid?

1. Put your trust in the character of God

The first thing David does is cry out to God. That should always be the first thing we do when we are overwhelmed, alone and afraid. The OBJECT of our faith is what matters here. Quit looking at them and start looking at HIM!

Lets look at what scripture reveals to us about God’s character

He is the omnipotent God

God has unlimited power, He’s able to do anything

Rom 8:31 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

He is a merciful God

God really cares about us. He wants to help when we cry out to Him

1 Pet 5:7 “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

God is an endless source of mercy for those who cry out for Him

He is a God who punishes the wicked

in verse 7 we see David calling for God’s divine justice

He is the God who sees, hears,knows and remembers our suffering

Verse 8 is one of the most beautiful verses in all the bible.

I like the way the NLT says it. “You have kept track of my sorrows”, you have collected my tears in a bottle.

In ancient Israel because of the arid environment, they would store their precious fluids in bottles, this is what David was referring to, that his tears were precious to God

He is the God who is faithful to deliver

In verse 12-13, David starts to talk as if his deliverance is already done! That is faith being lived out

2. Knowing The Power of God’s Word

3x in this psalm David “Praises thy word” clearly, then, praising God’s word is key in moving from fear to faith. David isn’t just reading the word or remembering it, he is praising it

His Word Is Supreme

Trusting God = trusting His word

Isa 55:11 “so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”

Ps 119:48 “I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes.”

His Word is Absolute

David remembers that by Gods word he was to become king, and he takes God at His word.

You and I don’t have a specific decree over us, we have something even better. We have 66 books filled with promises that God will be there for us in our time of need, the time when we are lonely, afraid, attacked all day long. Promises to love and guide us, promises worthy of our praise

Rom 8:31-39 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus …”

His Word Is Sufficient

Remember the Israelites when they sent spies into Canaan? 2 reports

3. Place your hope in The Son of God

Jesus is central in the bible, He is also central in the hymnbook known as the Psalms.

The ultimate exhortation in Psalm 56 is to put all your hope in Jesus, When we eel overwhelmed, alone, and in despair we can count on Jesus who is the fullness God, Just as David said, “this I know, God is for me.” Paul said

Rom 8:31 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Jesus Is The Word Become Flesh

So let me ask you again, is it proper and correct to praise God for His word?

Jesus Is The Word!

John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth

Exalting Jesus in Psalms 51-100 Place Your Hope in the Son of God

Christ, the Word of God made flesh, is the light of life. Fix your gaze on the face of Christ, and you will find yourself moving from fear to faith. Like David you will find yourself saying, “In God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mere humans do to me?”

CALL UP WORSHIP TEAM!!!

In Closing: The key to moving from fear to faith is 1. Praying to God 2. Praising His Word 3. Remember His faithfulness to you in your past 4. Thank Him like its already happened!

PRAY!