Excerpts from Psalm 55
"Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea. Hear me and answer me. My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught at the voice of the enemy, at the snares of the wicked...My heart is in anguish within me...Fear and trembling has beset me; horror has overwhelmed me...I said, 'Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest -- I would flee far away and stay in the desert. I would hurry to my place of shelter far from the tempest and storm!' ...If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng at the house of God...But I call to God, and the Lord saves me. Evening, morning, and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice. He ransoms me unharmed from the battle waged against me, even though many oppose me. God, who is enthroned forever, will hear them and afflict them...Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you. He will never let the righteous fall...But as for me, I trust in you."
Have you ever had a time you wanted to just run away? When the pressure of the world and the problems you are facing are so great, you become numb and can't even function? I have been there many times. There's been times when the weight on my shoulders seems so great that I can't possibly take on or do another thing. I'm pulled in so many directions that all I want to do is escape from LIFE itself. There's been times that I have had a spiritual meltdown because I just don't feel like I can take the pressure any longer. David, the great King, mighty warrior, and friend of God experienced the same thing. He said in Psalm 55 "I wish I had wings and could fly so far away - to a place of shelter away from the storm!"
I love the fact that David was honest with God. His approach to God in this passage was with pure vulnerability. He didn't say, "Oh dear God, please give me strength as I face this mountain in my life." On the contrary, he told God exactly how he felt. He said he wanted to run away! As I think about this, I am convicted that sometimes I approach God in my prayer time without vulnerability. Sometimes I put on the "spiritual" Beth when I'm talking to Him, telling Him what I know He wants to hear. But God wants honesty from me. It's only when I'm honest with Him and myself that He can start to work on me and change me.
After David pours out his heart to God about how he really feels, it seems the Lord gives Him peace. The Lord didn't take away the problem, but David's attitude toward the problem seemed to change. Verses sixteen and seventeen says, "But I call to God, and He saves me. Evening, morning, and noon I cry out in distress, and He hears my voice." Do you see the attitude change in David?
When my kids were little and having a problem with their attitude, all I had to say was "Attitude Check!" I taught them that their response when I said that should be "Praise the Lord!" I think David had a similar reminder from the Lord. He had an attitude check. At one moment, he's telling God that he wants to grow some wings and fly far away from the problems he's facing. Then he realizes the truth. God is there, and He's going to help him through the problem, no matter how big it is. Not only does he realize the truth once, but he continues in the truth. He didn't just call out to God about the problem once, he called out evening, morning, and noon. He kept talking to God about it! God doesn't want us to bear our burdens alone. Only God has the strength that can sustain us and help us get through, but we have to do our part to bring it to God faithfully - morning, noon, night! As long as it takes!
Then finally, in verses 22-23, David says "Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall...but as for me, I trust in you." I love that we see the human David here. We see how God changed his heart of distress and turmoil to be a heart of peace and trust. God didn't change the circumstances, only David's response to them.
I can sure learn a valuable life lesson from David this morning. Call out to God with pure honesty, without pretension. Tell him exactly how I feel. Continue to seek Him constantly. Accept His peace. Make a choice to trust. Trust that God is in control and He's going to help me through this and every situation, no matter how difficult it might seem at the moment. Sometimes I just need to ask God to give me an 'attitude check!"
---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com
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