Another day is over and night time does draw nigh. Earlier, the sky gorged itself with fat storm clouds until it spilled over in a quick torrent of rain. I watched the downpour, glad for the sudden rain which waters garden roots deeply and thoroughly. I could almost observe my newly planted beds greening up.

There are still patches of orange and gold soaked in the clouds, but night inevitably comes. Darkness draws nigh, a lovely image and such an old fashioned word. It is a poetic word, made to rhyme with “sigh”, the breath expelled heavily when I am either distressed or weary. Tonight I am neither for there’s been a prayer in my heart all week which gives me courage to face uncertainty and very troubling times.

“Whenever I am afraid/I will trust in You. In God (I will praise His word). In God I have put my trust. I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?” Psalm 56:3-4

Like David, I’ve had to face fears , sudden enemies and that disturbing thought about bodily harm.  Flesh knows all too well how to hurt flesh. The pages of history are full of man’s cruelty to man. Today’s culture thrives on ratcheting up the violence and it’s impossible to ignore it. How is it possible to be fearless when one is threatened?

The psalm does not ignore evil or evil men. Instead, it tells how to overcome the fear of it. First of all, the mighty warrior and king  admits his human weakness, “whenever I am afraid…” Too often we go whistling in the dark and try to pretend we’re not afraid. That is not courage, but foolhardiness masking false pride.

Then David quickly turns to the Lord, and speaks to Him: “I will trust in You! I will praise His word.” He praises God’s word knowing it is the divine covenantal promise of protection and mercy for God’s people. What a great promise to claim for ourselves! If God is for us, then who can dare be against us? Indeed! Praising God’s Word and trusting in it is like filling up the spirit with light and gold shining through threatening storm clouds. It allows the Holy Spirit’s rain to seep as deeply as a flash rainstorm drenches dry ground.

Because I ache to trust God with every one of my fears, I have to ask the question.    Why did David have such utter and intense trust in God? What did he know about Yahweh’s character that allowed him to pray like this?

When David faced Goliath as a young shepherd boy, he spoke these words to the Philistine:

“You come to me with a sword and a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ” 1Sam 17:45

As a mere shepherd, David had  known  the LORD by one of His Names, “the Lord  Sabaoth, the Lord of hosts.” It is a most powerful attribution of God . It is one which, I believe has been hidden and lost to many believers today.

More to come on this blessed Name of the Lord!

EAG