We all know the Bible character King David, and from him one can learn lessons about fear, worry and anxiety. Throughout his life, David had to deal with situations that would naturally bring about these three emotions in anyone. One emotion that he knew about especially was fear. His whole life had been turned upside down when his son Absalom stole the allegiance of the nation of Israel from him and was attempting to take the throne for himself. David didn’t know who was loyal to him and who was against him. His only option seemed to be to run for his life. He said to his servants, “Arise, and let us flee, or we shall not escape from Absalom. Make haste to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly and bring disaster upon us, and strike the city with the edge of the sword” (2 Samuel 15:14).
As David was fleeing for his life, he wrote in a Psalm, “I cried to the Lord with my voice, and He heard me from His Holy Hill” (Psalm 3:4). All believers must remember that worry is a burden God never meant for us to bear (Matthew 11:28-30). David looked to God in the midst of fear. God showed him grace and restored him to the throne. In Psalm 4:4-5, 8, David showed a very important lesson for how we should handle stressful events in our lives, which can bring up emotions of fear and of worry. We can discover from David how to release those emotions into God’s strong hand. He will help us through our trials and emotional moments. First, he said, “Be agitated, and do not sin. Meditate [think] within your heart on your bed, and be still. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD” (Psalm 4:4-5). Then, David said, “Lie down in peace, and sleep, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8).
Each Christian can say to the Lord at the end of the day before we sleep, “Thank you Lord, that we, like King David of old, do not have to be weighed down by fear and worry. Help me Lord to place my concerns in Your care so that I do not fear tomorrow, in Jesus name, Amen!” (See 1 Peter 5:6-7).
