Psalm 56 ~ Praying God's Word

Please read Psalm 56.

Meditate on verse 3.

When I am afraid, I will trust in You.

It was the summer of 1969 in Amarillo, Texas; I was eight years old.  Several life changing things happened that summer.  The most important was on June 8; I invited Jesus to live in my life as my Savior and LORD.  I was baptized on June 22. 

We moved to a different house that summer.  I did not like change, and I missed my old house; I dreaded going to a new school to start third grade.

And there was the week I attended Vacation Bible School at my church.  Each morning there was a Bible verse to memorize, and on one particular day, the verse was Psalm 56:3.  I memorized it in the King James Version:

What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee.

Now, summertime in Amarillo can bring significant thunderstorms, which often contain very large hail and even tornadoes.  As a little girl, I was terribly afraid of tornadoes. 

This summer night, my parents had already tucked me into bed.  As I lay there trying to fall asleep, I overheard them talking, and the tone of their voices told me something bad was about to happen.  Being eight years old, I reasoned that I needed to be a “big girl” and not add to their concerns, so I decided to stay in bed even though I was honestly scared to death.  I started saying the Bible verse I had memorized that morning over and over.

“What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee.

 What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee. 

What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee..”

And I fell asleep. 

The next morning I awoke to learn that half the windows in our house had been broken and our entire roof would have to be replaced because of the destructive hailstorm that night.  Miraculously I heard none of it because the LORD caused me to sleep through the night.

The LORD laid a significant foundation stone for my walk of faith.  I knew that I knew that I did not need to be afraid.  I could trust in the LORD.

Psalm 56:3 became my “forever verse,” a Bible verse tucked forever into my memory to be said the moment I need it.  Do you have a forever verse, a Biblical truth that comes to mind quickly in difficult circumstances?

Trusting God was a forever theme of David’s life.  In Psalm 56, he was scared, yet he chose to put his trust in the LORD and not be afraid (v. 11).

As a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7), pray Psalm 56:8-13 over a situation where you and someone you love need to trust God.

“LORD, take account of _________ and my wanderings.

Put our tears in Your bottle and in Your book.

Turn back our enemies in the day when we call on You.

This we know, that You are for us, God!

God, we praise Your Word.

LORD, we praise Your Word.

God, we put our trust in You;

we will not be afraid.

What can man do to us?

Your vows are binding upon us, O God.

We will give You thank offerings,

for You have delivered our souls from death,

 indeed our feet from stumbling.

LORD, let us walk before You in the light of the living.

In Your name, Jesus~”