“When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.”
Notice the first word. When, not if.
David does not write, if fear ever returns, which would suggest he expected to be finished with it. He assumes it will come back, and he decides in advance what he will do when it does.
That matters, because one of the most discouraging moments in any hard season is the return. You have a good stretch. You start to think you are past it. Then one morning it is sitting on your chest again like nothing ever changed, and on top of the fear comes a second wave: I am back at the beginning. Nothing worked. Maybe I am beyond help.
That is not what a relapse means. Healing of almost any kind moves in a jagged line, not a clean upward slope. A bad week after three good ones is not the erasing of the three good ones.
And look at what David does with the fear. He does not deny it or wait for it to pass before he prays. He puts his trust in God in the middle of being afraid. Both things are true in the same sentence. Afraid, and trusting.
You do not have to choose between them. You are not required to feel unafraid in order to be faithful.
So decide now, on a calmer day, what you will do when it comes back. Not if. When. That decision, made in advance, is worth more than any amount of hoping it stays away.
Talk About It Together
Talk about what you will do next time, while things are calm enough to plan.
- How do you talk to yourself when the anxiety comes back?
- What has actually helped before that you could return to?
- Who will you tell the next time it gets heavy?
Tonight’s Challenge
Write down three things you will do the next time fear comes back, and keep the list where you will find it.
Prayer
Lord, it comes back, and when it does we lose heart. Thank You that being afraid and trusting You can be true at the same time. Give us grace for the hard days that follow good ones. When fear returns, turn us toward You again. Amen.