Praise for the Word
Psalm 56:10, 11
“In God will I praise his word, in the LORD will I praise his word. In God have I put my trust; I will not be afraid what man can do to me.â€
Reading these verses reminds me of the preciousness of God’s Word in my own life. The Psalmist recognized the praiseworthiness and power of God’s Word. Interestingly, his praise for the Word accompanies his affirmation that he will trust and not fear.
I can identify. I’ve always struggled with fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of approval. And like the Psalmist, I, too, discovered the comfort of God’s Word in the context of fear.
The eerie music howling through our chimney had awakened me again. I was a young girl of eleven or twelve. Night after night, the sounds came, half like a trumpet, half like a wail. Night after night, I would lay, paralyzed with fear, waiting for the noise to cease. Sometimes I would awaken my mom and share my fears of the night. She would lovingly hug me, pray with me, and walk me back to bed. I’d resolve there was nothing to fear—it was only the wind. But the following night, the fear factor would rob my rest once again.
Then I found Psalm 4:8: “I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.†I read and reread these words, and claimed them as my own. When the strange sounds swelled, I’d repeat this verse aloud in my bed until I knew peace and sleep.
This commenced a longtime love affair with God’s Word. Time and time again, in the midst of life’s crises, God has used a specific verse to speak directly to my need. And the power of the Word has melted my fears, and strengthened my trust.
That same powerful, praiseworthy Word can speak to your fear and your need today…and tomorrow… and throughout your days and nights, for His Word endures forever.
Yes, I praise His Word. In the LORD, I praise His Word.
—Sarah Fletcher
Tennessee
