When I am Afraid…
Saturday’s Verse:
From Psalm 56:3 ESV
“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.”
Fear shrinks our world. We become preoccupied with things going wrong and feel isolated in our worry. The psalmist isn’t pretending he isn’t afraid. “When I am afraid,” he confesses, “I will trust in you.”
Faith does not mean we won’t experience anxious moments. Faith gives us a home to return to when they find us.
Luther encourages us to toss every trouble directly into God’s throne room through prayer, even when our faith is shaky. Psalm 56 assures us that trust is not something we wait around to feel. Trust is something we do. We hand our fears over to the God who has our tomorrow in His hands.
God promises He is not afraid of our anxiety because in Christ, He entered into humanity’s fears and took them to the cross. Jesus’ resurrection means our worry will not have the final say. We can toss our cares on Him over and over again. Next time fear threatens to overwhelm us, let these words echo in our hearts: we are not alone.
Say it with me:
When I am afraid, I will trust in You.
Say it again quietly to yourself when anxious thoughts creep into your mind today. Memorize it and make it your mini prayer whenever fear strikes. Faith comes by hearing, but it grows by continually coming back to the truth of God’s Word and His promises. He is faithful, even when we are faithless.
✝️ A Prayer for Today:
Lord, you see the worries that trouble my heart. Teach me to trust You in the midst of them. Remind me that I am yours and that nothing can snatch me from Your loving hand. Fill me with your peace through Jesus Christ. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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