Recap
Title: No Fear! God Is For You
Key Text: Psalm 56
The truth is that God is out to bless us not to curse us. As Jesus said in John 3:17: For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Trusting in God and not human resources is something that is emphasised all through the Bible. Psalms 20:7 says ‘Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”
When you believe God is for you, you can confidently put your trust in God no matter what circumstances you may be facing or how you may be feeling.
You can know God is for you when you are afraid (Psalm 52:3-4; 11)
You can know God is for you when you shed tears (Psalm 30:5)
You can know God is for you when you are surrounded by enemies (Psalm 56:1-6)
Apply
You can know God is for you when you are afraid
Psalm 52:3-4 ‘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?
Verse 11 repeats: in God I trust, I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
David was a man after God’s own heart but that didn’t mean he didn’t experience fear. He knew what it was to be afraid, but he also knew how to conquer fear by his faith in God. At different times he was in very scary situations, but he didn’t allow fear to dominate Him.
The best chance of conquering your fears is when you are sure that God is with you and for you. David knew that God was bigger than his fears.
David focussed on how the Lord would help him, not on those who could hurt him.
Many do not serve God out of fear, and they wait for a time when they are no longer afraid to do so. But that is a mistake. We see that David was afraid…But he trusted in GOD and did what was right to do. He put his trust in God and boldly cried out to the Lord.
So, do you believe God is for you?
You can know God is for you when you shed tears
Verse 8 says: Record my misery; list my tears on your scrolls-are they not in your record?
Imagine that: even the great David knew times when he felt miserable. There were moments when he cried many tears because of the difficulties he experienced.
Tears are an outward sign of inward emotions. Many people have shed tears because of the pain of their lives. Even Jesus wept……
Here the psalmist says that God has a record and a scroll of our tears. The tears are so many that the Lord has a book to record it. It is so powerful to understand how God knows all our offerings that we give, even with tears.
Remember David was completely alone. This made him value the sympathy and care of God, and he found great comfort in the thought that God noted his misery. So many people in our world today shed tears that nobody knows or sees.
Let me assure you today that even in your times of great tears and distress, God is for you. The God who one day will ‘wipe away all our tears’ can comfort and heal us right now.
Psalm 30:5 says: ‘weeping may stay for the night but rejoicing comes in the morning.’
Today is the day for God to dry your tears. He is for you. He is with you. And he will comfort you.
You can know God is for you when you are surrounded by enemies
David, the Lord’s anointed, faced many enemies who did not recognise him as a servant of God. Instead, they rejected him and rebelled against him.
Israel’s first King, Saul, who should have defended him was jealous of David. He threw javelins at him and persecuted him in order to kill him.
His own son Absalom led a rebellion against him. On one occasion his men were ready to stone him to death. The philistines were out to get the man who killed their champion.
Here we read what it was like for David to have enemies. Psalm 56:1-2 says:
Be merciful to me, O God, for men hotly pursue me; all day long they press their attack.
My slanderers pursue me all day long; many are attacking me in their pride.
Psalm 56:5-6 adds: All day long they twist my words; they are always plotting to harm me. They conspire, they lurk, they watch my steps, eager to take my life.
Maybe you have experienced or are experiencing vicious enemies like this. They are always after you. Day after day they twist what you say, they plot and scheme. They wait for an opportunity to take you down and destroy you.
It's not an easy situation when your enemies surround you, especially when they attack you by surprise or it comes from people who were once friends or family.
David experienced this. Jesus experienced this. The apostle Paul experienced this. But whatever is coming against you, you can but you can be sure of this. When God is for you, your enemies will not win. It may look like your enemies are surrounding you, but actually God is surrounding them and you of course.
