“My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of
death have fallen upon me. Fear and
trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me. And I say, ‘Oh, that I had wings like a
dove! I would fly away and be at rest;
yes, I would wander far away; I would lodge in the wilderness; I would hurry to
find a shelter from the raging wind and tempest…Cast your burden on the Lord,
and He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved.” –Psalm 55:4-8, 22
(ESV. Read Psalm 55).
Many, I am sure, can identify with
David, believed to be the writer of the lament voiced in Psalm 55. In his anguish and pain he wished he could be
as a dove and soar with wings away from the dangers, troubles and perplexities
that assailed him. Scholars have
examined carefully what has been recorded of David’s life to try to pinpoint
which of his many troubles might have inspired the words penned in this
lament. Some scholars surmise that he
wrote it following the experience of being betrayed by his own son, Absalom, as
recorded in 2 Samuel 15:1-12 and 16:15-23.
Other scholars surmise that, since David mentions “friend” and that they had “sweet counsel” together (Psalm
55:13-15) that David could have been referring to the time when his chief
counselor Ahitophel turned against King David (see 2 Samuel 15:12 and
16:15-23). Regardless of the exact
circumstances that might have inspired David to write this particular lament, its
words are as timeless as this day in which we live and its truths applicable to
the changing human emotions we all deal with if we are honest with
ourselves. We would like our faith to be
strong and unquenchable. But we must
admit that at times we sink into deep valleys of despondency and doubt, and we
need help to come through the “anguish,”
“fear and trembling” and “horror” that can overwhelm and from which we
truly want to escape.
But the truth is that we can’t sprout
wings like a beautiful dove and fly away from situations. We cannot always find a means of escape. We must walk through the valley of the
shadows. But then a strong assurance
comes—and herein is the heart of David’s lament: Not to escape, but to learn how to be
sustained, how to walk through. And the
answer is “Cast your burden on the Lord,
and He will sustain you. He will never
permit the righteous to be moved.”
Notice that David did not come to the conclusion that all the troubles
and terrors would vanish, for God permits adversity. But the triumph comes in that God is there to
help us bear whatever we face.
Every day brings strong testimony to
God’s presence and power to help us overcome whatever we meet in life. Yesterday I had an unexpected visit from a
beautiful young lady who a few years ago helped me with home care when my
beloved husband was ill. During those
days when she was assisting me with nursing duties, we developed a strong
rapport and we talked much about the mercies of God and the love He has for
us. Yesterday she shared with me, as a
matter of prayer and concern, the fact that she is now going through intensive
care of her own mother who suffers from the ravages of cancer. From attending those who were her charges
when she was a home health nursing aide, she now has one very dear to her whom
she must attend and help to make comfortable.
My heart goes out in prayer to this young lady as she seeks to make her
mother’s last days as comfortable and peaceful as possible. “Pray for me,” she said as we embraced upon
her leaving, “that I can continue to cast all my cares upon the Lord.” For my friend, her mother, and all of us who
bear burdens, what deep gratitude we have in the knowledge that escape is not
the answer but dependence on God’s mercies is sufficient.
For those who hurt today: Don’t fly away as a dove. Know that God loves you and understands. “Cast
your burden upon the Lord, for He cares for you!”
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