David gives praise to God against his fears

Psalm 18:1-2 (NLT)

For the choir director: A psalm of David, the servant of the Lord. He sang this song to the Lord on the day the Lord rescued him from all his enemies and from Saul. He sang: 1 I love you, Lord; you are my strength. 2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.

David sings the praise of his heart because of God’s love, mercy and grace towards him.

Fear can often cripple us unjustifiably. We focus on the possibilities of one item and come to a conclusion that is often wrong. A post in the June 1, 2010 Newsweek magazine gave some real statistics that show how fears can control us.

-          Murders: 14,180 (2008)—Suicides: 33,289 (2006)

-          Children abducted by strangers: 115 (1999)—Children who drown in pools: 288 (2006)

-          Burglaries: 2.2 million (2007)—Identity thefts: 8.3 million (2005)

-          Shark attacks: 28 (2009)—Dog bites: 4.5 million (estimate)

-          Americans killed in terrorist attacks worldwide: 33 (2008)—Americans who die from seasonal flu: 36,171 (est.)

-          Deaths by allergic reaction to peanuts: 50-100 (est.)—Deaths by unintentional poisoning: 27,531 (2006)

-          Fatalities in airline accidents: 321 (2005)—Fatalities in car crashes: 34,017 (2008)

I know for a fact every time my wife gets on a plane, she flies with apprehension. There is no basis to her fear other than someone she does not know is in control of the airplane. Yet when I’m driving the car she is usually the passenger and feels very content. The statistics above show she is more likely to die in a car crash than in an airplane accident and yet she is still more afraid to fly on an airplane.

There were times David lived in fear. He knew there were enemies trying to kill him. He knew even his own king Saul was jealous of him and had his soldiers looking for opportunities to kill him. Yet David trusted in God. He recognized God was the foundation of his strength. God was his place of safety that he could turn to in desperate moments.

When you are afraid give you fears to God. Let God be your place of safety. Let God shield you from thoughts that could render you useless in life. Let the love, mercy and grace of God be evident in your life. Let The Lord take control of your life and put you at ease.