Trust Over Fear

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” (Psalms 56:3, NIV)

Over the past several years, national data from the CDC have shown a steady rise in anxiety symptoms among U.S. adults. Between 2019 and 2022, the percentage of adults reporting anxiety symptoms grew to almost 2 out of every 10 people. This increase has touched nearly every demographic group; no community has been untouched.

And these numbers don’t exist in isolation. We’re living in a time marked by political tension, economic uncertainty, and global conflicts that weigh heavily on the heart. Many people feel stretched thin, unsure of what tomorrow will bring. I don’t name these things to create more anxiety, but because many of us are already carrying our own list. And if you’re walking through anxiety today, you could likely add your own concerns to the list.

It is into this very world—our world—that Psalm 56 speaks. David writes these words not from a place of comfort, but from fear and uncertainty. He is surrounded, pursued, and overwhelmed. Yet in the middle of all that, he makes a deliberate choice: “In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust and am not afraid” (Psalm 56:4).

Here, the psalmist gives us the reason for trust. 

We trust the Lord because God’s word is reliable—a steady promise in an unsteady world, as Isaiah reminds us that “the word of our God will stand forever” (Isaiah 40:8). 

We trust the Lord because God’s character is faithful and unchanging, even when everything else shifts, echoing the assurance that “great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:23). 

And we trust the Lord because God’s presence is constant, near to us in every anxious moment, just as Jesus promises, “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

This is the case Scripture invites us to consider. When our world feels unstable, when our anxiety rises, when our fear whispers its familiar lies, why place our trust anywhere else but in the God whose word endures, whose faithfulness does not fail, whose presence does not leave us, and who loves us and desires us to flourish in Him.

Lord, you know the worries we carry and the fears that rise within us. In your mercy, steady our hearts with your reliable word, surround us with your faithful love, and remind us that you are always nearby. When anxiety speaks loudly, let Your peace speak louder. Help us trust you in all things, for you are our refuge and our God. Amen.

Grace & Peace,

Pastor Tim

National Center for Health Statistics. “Anxiety and Depression Symptoms Among Adults: United States, 2019–2022.” NCHS Data Brief, no. 213. Hyattsville, MD: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr213.pdf.