David
sighed, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest”
(Ps. 55:6). As for me, I’d build a cabin in the Sawtooths, or take a permanent
post in a fire-lookout tower. When life weighs on me, I too yearn to fly away
and be at rest.
David
wrote freely about his circumstances: Violence, oppression, and strife
surrounded him on all sides, stirred up by the disloyalty of an old friend
(55:8-14). Fear and terror, pain and trembling, anxiety and restlessness
overwhelmed him (vv.4-5). Is it any wonder he longed to fly away?
But
escape was impossible. He could not evade his lot. He could only give his
circumstances to God: “As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save
me. Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall
hear my voice” (vv.16-17).
Whatever
our circumstances—a burdensome ministry, a difficult marriage, joblessness, or
a deep loneliness—we can give them to God. He has lifted the burden of our
sins; will He not lift the weight of our sorrows? We have trusted Him with our
eternal souls; can we not entrust our present circumstances to Him? “Cast your
burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you” (55:22).
Because
God cares about us, we can leave our cares with Him. (RBC)
