Psalm 56

(Guest Post from Austin Wynn)

Psalm 56

A Miktam of David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath. Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me; all day long an attacker oppresses me; my enemies trample on me all day long, for many attack me proudly. When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me? All day long they injure my cause; all their thoughts are against me for evil. They stir up strife, they lurk; they watch my steps, as they have waited for my life. For their crime will they escape? In wrath cast down the peoples, O God! You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call. This I know, that God is for me. In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? I must perform my vows to you, O God; I will render thank offerings to you. For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.
(Psa 56:1-13)

David writes this psalm when he is forced to act like a madman before King Achish because he fears what will happen to him. When David is “trampled on” by man, he turns to the One who can trample men. There is a Power far surpassing that which David has and David has the ability to tap into that Power source whenever he so desires. It is an important lesson for us to learn that when our circumstances look bleak and it seems man is against us, we have a Sovereign and Almighty God who created man and will fight for His Name. When fear strikes at the heart of David, he trusts. This flies in the face of fear. Though his fear is one of visible consequence, He trust is one of invisible promise. Though everything on the outside of our lives may appear to be all the reason we need to fear, everything in God’s Word teaches us to trust. Christians stand out in this regard. When the world sees every reason to fear, the Christian sees every reason to trust. We must be those who look not at our circumstances from face value, but those who see with spiritual eyes that God is fighting for us. David’s trust is built upon God. Since David knows God is trustworthy, there is absolutely nothing that will come into his life that is outside of God’s “all-seeing eye”. The Christian has a life marked by faith in God and one that causes the unbelieving world to question. Let the reader notice how David emphasizes more that once the statement, “in God”. He is making the point that his trust is rooted in God and not in his outward and visible circumstances. It is also quite interesting to note that David says, within the same sentence, “When I am afraid…..I shall not be afraid.” He acknowledges that fear is present within him when outward circumstances bring about such fear, but then he states that he will not be afraid because God is greater. We must not simply expect to always fear God. We must preach the truth to ourselves, that God is in control, whenever fear seems to be taking over in our lives. David was a man who sat himself down and preached to himself. He then received the truths of his own words, which came from God, and chose to live by faith in God. David not only goes from declaring that he will trust the almighty God of Israel, but he also questions the extent of the strength of man against him. He is asking, “How much damage can man really do if my God is in control?”. This is a rhetorical question that he asks himself to build up more faith in God. As Christians, we need to be in the habit of asking questions like this to ourselves whenever we find fear kicking in. There is only so much a person can do, whereas God can “destroy both soul and body in Hell”. David has “tossed” to and fro and cried many tears as a result of his life’s struggles, but he knows that God has been fully aware of each and every trial. There is never a point at which God becomes unaware of the Christian’s trials. David recites the same question and answer time to himself about God’s power with him and adds that “God is for [him]”. He then is driven in the midst of his fearful situation to worship God. He worships God while the enemies footsteps grow louder, knowing that God is fully aware of His servant’s needs. Can you worship God while the clutches of financial ruin appear to be gripping about your neck? Will you trust God when the bank account isn’t enough for the tuition deposit? God is the One who has delivered David’s soul from falling and He did it all so that David would know Him. God acts to secure the needs of His people because He longs to give them grace and thus receive the glory. We Christians can say along with David, “This I know, that God is for me.” We can also say along with Paul, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, will He not also with Him freely give us all things?”