You remember the stories of David fleeing from Saul, don’t you? The Bible tells us a number of times that David was very frightened while he was fleeing. You can imagine that he would have been shaking with fear. He would just have had to sneeze or cough, and Saul could have discovered him in the cave and killed him.

David writes Psalm 57 while he is in a cave fleeing from Saul. In this psalm, David uses pictures of lions, fire, and teeth to show how much danger he is in.

Are you ever frightened? Are there times when you are scared? Now it most likely won’t be because someone is trying to kill you, but you could be frightened of thunder or scared because your parents need to travel far away for a while, or you may be frightened because you’re worried about something your classmate says to you. There could be many reasons why you feel frightened and afraid.

When David is frightened, he doesn’t spend all his time praying for God to tell him what is going to happen next, or for God to take Saul away. Instead, he asks God to be merciful to him, and then he sings about God’s greatness. He sings of how he can trust in this great God. He knows that God is most powerful and can do all things. He knows that God has everything in his control. And it is this knowledge of God’s greatness that he sings about. Because David knows that God is looking after him and is in control of his life, he is able to sing praises to God.

So, when you are frightened, you should also go to God, confessing how great he is and asking him to help you to trust in him. Read God’s Word so that you can learn how great and mighty God really is. Trust God to look after you. Know that you are God’s precious child and that he will certainly care for you.

Reflection with your child:

What should you pray when you are frightened?

Source: Sermon by Rev. R. Vermeulen