Trusting God Fearlessly: What Can Humans Do?

Psalm 56 does not pretend fear isn’t real. The psalmist writes, “Whenever I am afraid”—not if, but when. The question that follows—“What can anyone do to me?”—might sound a little silly at first. After all, people can do a great deal of harm. History is filled with moments when fear turned into cruelty, when power forgot the people, and when voices grew loud and angry. We don’t have to look far today to see fear shaping words, policies, and actions in ways that harm real lives. The psalmist isn’t denying this reality. Instead, they are asking a deeper question: Can fear have the final word?

I think often about how our senior pastor, Adam Hamilton, lives into this kind of trust. After sermons or social media posts that invite faithfulness and encourage us to bridge the gaps between our “sides,” he regularly receives harsh emails and comments. People are often unhappy that he didn’t do more to take their side. Many passionately express disappointment, anger, condemnation—sometimes even threatening to withdraw support or questioning his calling and character. Those words are not harmless; I am sure they sometimes sting, and more than that, they are attempts to control through fear.

If I’m 100% honest, I recognize that same temptation in myself. God made me with a strong desire to see justice in our world. For me, the urge to speak from fear is STRONG when I don’t feel justice is heard. I want to harden instead of listen, to protect my position rather than trust God. I am guilty of looking toward people that support practices and policies that are harmful to others and wanting to burn bridges rather than build them. And yet, time and again, I have watched Pastor Adam choose a different response. It humbles me. He does not retreat into bitterness or defensiveness. He continues to lead with hope, kindness, and humility—not because the words don’t sting, but because he is deeply committed to showing up as God’s love in the world. That kind of response doesn’t usually come naturally; it is the fruit of a lifetime of consistent faith practices. In my six years at Resurrection, I have never seen him claim to have all the answers. Instead, he freely admits he does not—but he continues to lean into his faith, choosing love again and again.

That, I believe, is what the psalmist is teaching us. Trust in God does not make us immune to harm, but it anchors us so fear does not rule us. Where do you hear fearful voices pressing in on your life right now—in conversations with family, online, in the news, or even in the quiet voice in your own head? What might it look like to trust God deeply enough to respond—not with fear—but with faith, humility, and love?