David knew what fear felt like. In Psalm 56, he is living in exile, surrounded by enemies on every side. This is the same David who once stood boldly before Goliath, yet now he admits his fear openly. His words go back to around 1000 BC, but they still speak powerfully today. In verse 3 he says, “When I am afraid…” Notice he doesn’t say if I am afraid—but when. Even heroes of faith face fear. Courage isn’t the absence of fear—it’s responding to fear with faith. David goes on to show us how: “When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.” Fear may come knocking—but faith answers the door.
Dwight L. Moody loved Psalm 56:3, but he also compared it with another powerful verse—Isaiah 12:2: “I will trust and not be afraid.” Moody said, “You can travel to heaven first class or second class. Second class is Psalm 56:3—‘When I am afraid, I will trust in God.’ First class is Isaiah 12:2—‘I will trust and not be afraid.’ Why not buy a first-class ticket?” Whether you feel fear first and then trust, or your trust is so strong fear never takes hold—either way, faith is the victory that overcomes fear. Faith flies—fear only waddles and hesitates.
And that reminds us of Tony Campolo’s story about the ducks: Every Sunday, the ducks in Ducktown waddled out of their houses down Main Street to their duck church. They waddled into their pews, and the duck choir waddled into place. Then the duck minister opened the duck Bible and preached: “Ducks! God has given you wings! With wings, you can fly! With wings, you can soar like eagles! No walls can confine you! No fences can hold you! You have wings—God has given you wings—and you can fly!” All the ducks shouted, “Amen!” And when the service was over…they all waddled home.
That’s us sometimes, isn’t it? We hear God’s promises. We believe His Word. We even say, “Amen!”—yet we still live in fear instead of faith. David shows us a better way. When fear comes—trust God. When danger threatens—trust God. When life feels overwhelming—trust God. Faith doesn’t deny fear—but it defeats it. God has given you wings. So don’t just believe—fly!