“In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?”
~ Psalm 56:4
Hi James and Ellen,
How do you react when you are scared? What is something that scares you? Does seeing a creepy looking guy scare you? Does talking in front of your classmates scare you? Does having to go into dark room scare you? What do you do when you are scared? When David was a kid – which was about 3000 years ago, David herded his dad’s sheep. When a bear tried to kill sheep that David was herding, David killed the bear. When a lion tried to kill sheep that David was herding, David killed the lion. When David was a little older, David’s dad asked David to take some food to David’s bros who were fighting invading Philistine people group’s guys. The Philistine people group’s guys had a giant – whose name was Goliath, fighting with them. When David realized that the Israelite people group’s guys were intimidated by Goliath, David volunteered to kill Goliath. David had only his slingshot to use to kill Goliath. Do you think that David ever got scared? What would you do if a bear or lion suddenly appeared – set on killing your pet that you have with you? What would you do if a guy broke into your house – set on killing whoever is in your house? David did get scared. David had enemies who really wanted David dead. Do you know what David did when he got scared? When David got scared this time when his life was in danger, David wrote a miktam. The miktam that David wrote became Psalm 56. The Philistine people group’s guys had caught up with David in Gath taking him captive. David did not know what was going to happen to him. David probably thought that he was going to be killed by the Philistine people group’s guys. What would you do if some bad guys were to kidnap you? David would write a miktam to God. Do you think that God was glad that David – when David was really scared, would want to talk with Him through a miktam? Your grandpaa thinks that God was very glad that David did.
Your grandpaa is scared of heights. Your grandpaa gets really nervous when he is near the edge of a cliff or when he looks down from a tall building. Your grandpaa – when he was a kid when he went to bed at night, was scared of the scary thing that your grandmaa knew were under his bed. When your grandpaa was the field leader for the Bolivian South American Mission (SAM) field missionary team, your grandpaa was responsible for the team’s aviation ministry – which was called SAM/Air. The SAM missionaries who were ministering in SAM/Air in Bolivia one day came up with a grievance against your grandpaa because they thought that your grandpaa wanted to get one of the SAM/Air missionaries – after your grandpaa affirmed him for having done really well leading a short term ministry work team, to commit to doing something that was outside his aviation ministry. The SAM/Air Director and SAM’s General Director would fly from Florida to Bolivia to meet with your grandpaa about your grandpaa’s relationship with SAM/Air. The SAM/Air Director and SAM’s General Director also wanted in this meeting the three guys who were on SAM’s Bolivia’s field missionary team’s field committee. When your grandpaa asked SAM’s General Director if he was okay with your grandmaa being in this meeting, SAM’s General Director told your grandpaa that your grandmaa could not be in this meeting. Just as the meeting was about to begin, the wife of the SAM/Air Director in Bolivia marched into the room where the meeting was to be held and sat down. The SAM/Air Director – who lived in the United States, sat a recorder on a table and . . . your grandpaa was very careful how he said whatever he said during the meeting. Over and over again the wife of the SAM/Air Director in Bolivia overstated what she said and at times, told mistruths. Your grandpaa during the meeting really wished that your grandmaa was in the room with him. One of the guys who was elected to be on the SAM field missionary team’s three man field committee after some time began to defend your grandpaa but . . . when the meeting came to an end, SAM’s General Director congratulated the SAM/Air personnel in the meeting on how well the meeting had gone and . . . SAM’s General Director did not say anything to your grandpaa. Your grandpaa had been scared during the meeting that he would say something that would make matters even worse. Your grandpaa did not try to defend himself in the meeting. Your grandpaa had a number of things said to him and about him that were not true but SAM’s General Director never once asked your grandpaa if what had just been said – especially the things that were being said by the wife of the SAM/Air Director in Bolivia, was true. Instead of thanking God for helping him keep his cool during the meeting, your grandpaa after the meeting was very upset that SAM’s General Director did not say anything to him to affirm your grandpaa for the way that your grandpaa had kept his cool during the meeting.
Your grandpaa – in a way, felt that night at SAM’s mission base – which is in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, the way that David felt when he had the Philistine people group’s guys capture him. Your grandpaa felt like he could not say or do anything that night during that meeting with the SAM/Air Director, the SAM/Air Director in Bolivia and the field missionaries who were assigned to SAM/Air in Bolivia. All David could do – as an enemy captive, was to tell God that he was confident of His help – that he knew that he did need to be afraid of what might happen. Verse 4 says, “In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?” Your grandpaa knows that there will be times when you will be scared. Taking a driving test, leaving home for college, walking alone down a dark street and not having any guy or gal friends to talk to may scare you. The next time that you get scared tell God like David did that you are trusting Him; that you know that He will help you to be unafraid.
Psalm 56 (251)