Have You Ever Misheard a Scripture Passage?

Have you ever misheard a Scripture passage? I have. The one that sticks out most plainly relates to the popular Psalm 23. In fact, my mishearing related to the key verse of the Psalm, verse 4. There the writer said, “I will fear no evil: for thou art with me.”

Most of my life, I heard that verse saying, “I will not fear,” but that is not what it says. In fact, Psalm 56:3 declares, “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in thee,” referring to the Lord. 

Some form of fear is a natural reaction to many life situations. Jacob was afraid of his reunion with Esau (Gen. 32:11). Daniel was afraid of his vision of man in the latter days (Dan. 10:12). The apostle Paul was afraid the Corinthians would not be what they needed to be (2 Cor. 12:20). The apostle John was afraid at the beginning of the Revelation (Rev. 1:17).

Fear is a strong word. To some, it implies being petrified, terrified or hysterical. But other words also relate to fear like “fright,” “tension” or “anxiety.” Some even label shyness a form of fear — the fear of not fitting in.

Many life situations produce a natural form of fear. Death brings a fear of separation for the surviving spouse. It is a fear related to identity. God made two to become one but death divides. The survivor is left to wonder who he or she is without a spouse.

Divorce brings the fear of never being loved again. Losing a job brings fear of insufficient resources to provide for one’s family or care for one’s self. A medical diagnosis brings fear of not being able to handle the new circumstances and demands. Even coming of age can raise fears, fears of loneliness, of fitting in, of finding one’s place.

Sometimes fellow believers heap on guilt just at the moment it is least needed. Amid the times of natural fear reactions, some Christians tell us not to fear. While their words are meant to comfort, they oftentimes make us feel like failures in our faith. If the Bible teaches not to fear and one is afraid, then one fears being a failure as a Christian on top of everything else.

Perhaps a better approach than urging a hurting soul not to be afraid is to remember the small child spending the night in a new room. The strange surroundings can be frightening, and the darkness magnifies the emotions. With tension in the voice, the child calls for his or her parents.

How soothing the answer when out of the darkness comes the response from a familiar voice, “It’s all right. I’m right here.” That is the response of Psalm 56:3. That also is the message of Psalm 23:4. Whenever one is afraid, assurance can be found in the presence of the Lord.

Presence is important. As a parent’s presence comforts a frightened child, so God’s presence comforts His hurting child. Presence is more than the presence of the Holy Spirit. It is the presence of God’s people. Presence is God speaking through His children that the hurting soul is not alone. No matter the cause of the pain, God’s child is not abandoned, not forsaken. Presence says, “I care. I am with you.”

From my own walk through the “valley of the shadow of death,” I can testify to the value of presence. Sometimes pain makes it hard to sense God’s Spirit in the midst of crisis, but there is no mistaking the presence of God’s people.

Psalm 23:4 does not say, “I will not fear.” It says, “I will fear no evil.” Evil is real. Like a roaring lion, it goes about seeking those whom it can devour (1 Pet. 5:8). Evil is enemy. Its attacks are awesome. Its results are chaotic. Evil separates us from God.

But evil is not feared by the believer because “thou art with me.”

On this side of the cross, we know that God has overcome evil, even the Evil One as the apostle Peter labeled Satan. First John 4:9 says, “By this the love of God was manifested, that God sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.” Because of God’s love, Jesus paid the sin debt of all who believe on His name. God’s mercy forgives the believer’s sin. God’s grace makes one His child forever. The believer is never forsaken, never abandoned, never alone. “Thou art with me.”

Psalm 23:4 is about the end of life. The writer confidently declared that because “thou art with me,” he had nothing to fear, even as he walked into death itself. That is the same message written centuries later by the apostle John: “And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us … that we may have confidence in the Day of Judgment” (1 John 4:16–17). In judgment as in death, “thou art with me.” We are never alone. God is there.

And as God is with us in the end, He is with us in the present. Evil may do its worst in life’s circumstances but “thou art with me.”

As Psalm 56 teaches, “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in Thee.” Just like a child trusting his or her parents to drive away the fears of night, the believer trusts in God. And like a loving parent, God comforts. God strengthens. God encourages. God guides.

In the midst of whatever chaos evil brings, God works to make all things good (Rom. 8:28). His promise to the believer is that chaos loses. God wins. For everyone, there will be times in life when he or she is afraid — the heart will race, blood pressure will climb, breaths will come fast and shallow, adrenaline will flood the body. That is OK. It is a normal reaction. Just remember the direction of the Psalm, “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in Thee.”

And there will be times when you feel under attack by the Evil One in the worst form possible. When that happens, remember that as a believer in Jesus Christ, you don’t have to fear evil because “thou art with me.”