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)
