Psalm 56:3-4, 8-13

3.When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.
4.In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust ; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?
8.You have taken account of my wanderings ; Put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book ?
9.Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call ; This I know, that God is for me.
10.In God, whose word I praise, In the LORD, whose word I praise,
11.In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?
12.Your vows are binding upon me, O God ; I will render thank offerings to You.
13.For You have delivered my soul from death, Indeed my feet from stumbling, So that I may walk before God In the light of the living.

 As I read this section of Psalms this morning, this contrast stood out to me: the darkness of the reality of life against the comfort and delight of an intimate relationship with God. The Psalms are so real in their portrayal of how life is and how we as humans feel about life. But the Psalms also paint this picture of an amazing God who cares about our earthly struggles.

Psalm 56 especially reminded me to cling to God when earthly realities seem to overwhelm me. I can cling to God because He is trustworthy. God has given me His word and the opportunity to study it. Through His word He has revealed to me who He is and I have seen that He is trustworthy. He has also given me experiences in my own life that teach me that He is trustworthy. So when earthly circumstances cause me to be afraid, I know I can trust God.

One of the verses I love most is Psalm 56:8. God, the great and almighty God, has taken account of me! He knows me intimately, He knows my ways, and He has even seen and collected every one of my tears! How tender and how kind! I can trust God with my struggles with the assurance that He will redeem them.

Most wonderful of all, I can trust God with my life because He is the one who keeps His covenant of relationship with me and who delivers my soul from death (vs 11-12). I know that I cannot do this, but praise God! He has done it for me. And He has delivered me for a good purpose: “So that I may walk before God in the light of the living.”