SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON - OCT 18TH

When I Am Afraid

Lesson Passage:
Psalm 56:1-13
LESSON PASSAGE OUTLINE
1. Admit Your Fears (Ps. 56:1-7)
2. Focus on God (Ps. 56:8-9)
3. Follow Through With Praise (Ps. 56:10-13)

BIBLICAL TRUTH - Commentary by Bryan Beyer, Professor of Old Testament at Columbia International University & School of Missions in Columbia, SC.
God’s people are to trust God when they are afraid.

 My daughter’s friend has a three-year-old son who is afraid of the dark. He used to have a hard time falling asleep because he was afraid a monster was going to grab him soon after the lights went out. His mother responded with a new invention—monster spray!
 She took an empty aerosol can, labeled it “monster spray,” and sprayed it around her son’s room before she turned out the lights. Her doing so calmed her son’s fears, and he soon would fall asleep. I also remember being a bit afraid of the dark when I was a boy!
 Whenever I take students on a study tour to Israel, we visit a huge crater in southern Israel. The crater has no fence at its lip, and one step too far means a 1,300 foot drop and certain death. The wind is always gusting there, and every time we visit, some people are standing much closer to the edge than I ever would stand! I don’t fear for my own life, because I stand far back from the edge; but I find myself fearing others will fall off.

 What fears do you think most trouble adults today? What sorts of fears do you have?  Fear is a normal reaction to danger. To experience fear is to be human! Fear is a necessary defense mechanism; if we didn’t experience some fear, we wouldn’t survive for long. Some fears are rational; some are not. Some fears are fleeting; others are paralyzing. The question is: How are Christians to deal with their fears? The Bible reassures us that when we are afraid, we can and should turn to God in faith.