“The LORD is on my side; I will not fear!”
Psalm 118:6
“What time I am afraid, I will trust in you.”
Psalm 56:3
The book of Psalms is so true to life. We all, like David, have had times of great confidence, when we joyfully proclaimed that we will not fear men. And, like David, we all have had times when we were afraid. Those times when we were afraid do not mean that our times of joyful faith were false, any more than David’s fearful times meant his faith in God was false. Times of fear do not void our times of faith or make us hypocrites. They are only times of trial, given to us by God to teach us patience and humility.
All of God’s children experience times of great faith. Go ahead and rejoice in those times; you’re supposed to. But stay sober. You know that troubled times, designed by God, will come to try your faith and to increase it. Don’t be ashamed when you are afraid. Just do what David did: admit to yourself and to God how you feel, and keep trusting Him. The trial will pass. And you will rejoice in hope again.
