Psalm 56:3–4 (NIV84)
3 When I am afraid, I will trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can mortal man do to me?

So far, we have affirmed that it is perfectly natural and human for us to have occasions when fear grips our psychic. We have asserted that the implication behind most of our fears is the sense of not being in control of our situation. We also assert that the emotion of fear in and of itself is not sin.

So, wherein does the potential for sin lie within the midst of our fears? It lies with how we respond to our feelings of fear. Look carefully at these two verses again. David says, “When I am afraid…” And then he speaks of trusting in God and in praising his word. He then asserts,
“I will not be afraid.” If we take out all of the words in between these two phrases, David says, “When I am afraid… I will not be afraid.” It sounds contradictory, but it is not at all. What David is saying is this, “When I feel the emotion of fear, I will in no way allow fear to control my actions.”

So, what are main actions that fear robs us of carrying out? The answer is, the very things that are described in-between those two phrases. If we allow fear to dominate our thinking, then fear itself will stifle our ability to trust in God and praise his word.

Now think about it: we are in a spiritual battle and the weapons we fight with are praise and faith. The very means of living in the presence of God is through praise.

Psalm 100:4 (ESV)
Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with
praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!

We can’t trust in God and be gripped by fear at the same time. This moment, let us enter into our Lord’s presence and trust in him for all things.