Daily Devotion - Tuesday - January 12

Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me; all day long an attacker oppresses me; my enemies trample on me all day long, for many attack me proudly. When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me? ' Psalm 56: 1-4 

How many of us have felt beaten up lately?  Just feeling kind of down in the dumps and not certain about what the future holds in many aspects of life.  Personally, nationally, health-wise, there are a lot of uncertainties to things as of late and it can be draining.  I am reminded that in this verse, David had already been anointed future King of Israel by Samuel, but the current King, Saul, was very jealous and was seeking to kill him. David had to have a little pep talk with himself, reminding himself who is in charge.  This passage illuminates the turnabout of his fearful thoughts.  He prayed and acknowledged the problem (attackers and enemies coming at him) and he then laid it out:”I put my trust in you”.  
I’d encourage you to remember this tactic when you find yourself fearful. It is referred to as thought stopping when used in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and it’s an effective, evidence-based tactic to help keep our thoughts under control.  Don’t let the fear take over. Acknowledge it and then remind yourself that God is in control and He will reveal the things you need to do in the process of the problem at hand- Meghan