Walk Of Life – Day 18, September 2022 – Thoughts From The Book Of Psalms
Psalm 56 – Faith In The Midst Of Fear
This psalm is a Miktam of David addressed to the Chief Musicians which is set to the tune of the song “The silent dove in distant lands”. David wrote this psalm when he was running away from Saul and was captured by the Philistine King in Gath. It deals with the period between the visit to the tabernacle at Nob and David’s arrival at Adullam. David was alone, desperate and afraid.
“Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands” is the song sung by women in Israel when David returned from battle killing many Philistine soldiers. David, a mighty warrior whose fame was spread to distant lands around Israel was on the run for his life now. When he reached Gath, some servants of the king recognised David and wanted to take the opportunity to get back to him for all the defeats they had been suffering due to him. David who was alone was terrorised by the thought of what harm they can cause him and started behaving like a madman. Even though his act was very convincing, the officials did not believe him and were following his every step waiting for a change to prove otherwise. Death had surrounded David which brought fear of life in him. 1 Samuel 21.
Although he trusted God with his life, he openly acknowledged the presence of fear in him. The fear did not fill the whole area of his mind, for he said, ‘when I am afraid, I put my trust in you’ verse3. Trusting God gave David the momentum towards even greater faith which made him change his statement, “in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” verse 4. When he looked away from the Philistine and sought God’s mercy through prayer, he realised that if God is for him, it doesn’t matter what man or men may be against him. He wished that God would bottle up all his tears so that He would see his misery and rescue him. God rescued him by making Achish, King of Gath believe that he wasn’t David or if it was, he was such a pathetic specimen that he may as well let him go.
On his way to Gath, in Gath, and on his way from Gath, David’s life was in constant danger and God delivered him from the danger that he brought upon himself by going to the enemy and kept his feet from falling. So, he promised to sacrifice thank offering to God in his sanctuary and live rightly before God for sparing his life. God is good, patient and loving towards his children and he always delivers them from the fowler’s snare. He spared your life by sacrificing his own not for you to go and live your life on your own terms. He expects you to renounce the devil and all his works, the pomp’s and vanities of this wicked world and all the sinful desires of the flesh. He wants you to keep his commandment and to walk before him all the days of your life. These are the things you vowed when you accepted Lord Jesus as your Saviour. Will you not keep them?
