In Times of Stress

[197 words] In Psalms 56, we read David’s words during a time of extreme stress. There came a time when the young warrior was captured by the Philistines in the area of Gath. You will recall that David defeated and killed the Philistines’ beloved warrior, Goliath, in battle (1 Samuel 17). Goliath’s hometown was Gath. You can imagine that this was a place where David was most hated. David gives us an idea of how dangerous this area was to him: It was there that David was being hunted down (Psalms 56:1-2); David’s enemies were spreading lies about him (Psalms 56:5); and they were constantly planning and scheming to destroy David (Psalms 56:6). In the midst of all this stress and fear, David makes this amazing declaration of faith: “When I am afraid, I put my trust in You …” and “… in God I trust and am not afraid….