As I read through Psalm 55, I am struck by God’s timing – if you’re going through a pretty ‘cruisey’ phase at the moment, you may read this and appreciate David’s weary longing but not necessarily reflect on it any longer than it takes to finish the Psalm. But I encourage you to think back to a time when you have felt truly fearful and desperate for relief. I can’t necessarily relate to enemies pressing in around me, but there have been plenty of times I have been in anguish and have felt overwhelmed with my situation. None more so than the last six months.
Ah yes, I think God knew that I would randomly select this Psalm to blog and that my day would start with feelings of exhaustion, angst, desperation and confusion due to another 2am and 4.30am wake up call from our beautiful boy who thought it was totally appropriate to be wide awake. No sympathy required, but that equates to 4.5 hours of sleep for me, which would be totally fine if it was a one-off.
Haven’t we all at some point in our lives been worn out physically, mentally or emotionally and, like David, dreamt of running away to a still, quiet place? To fantasize about escaping from the difficult or demanding aspects of our reality is a human response Jesus understands completely. That’s why he offers his own presence and way of life as the refuge we crave. One thing I am learning over and over in the midst of my current challenge is to wait on Jesus to renew my strength, not push on through the day like a stubborn, sleep-starved martyr.
When we focus on the reality of our situation, fear can often be a very real emotion which can consume our entire being. David communicates this clearly in the first five verses. When I was being monitored for the potential of post-natal psychosis due to significant sleep deprivation and blood loss, I can honestly say my fear of what possibly could happen was sky high. From verse 16 onwards, David shows us the change of perspective needed to combat fear and anxiety. God has given us the way to keep our fear from paralyzing us – and it involves changing our focus from the things that are causing us fear to thoughts of God.
Philippians 4:6-8 promises us that if we can cast all our anxieties and fears at Him in prayer, then our hearts and minds will be guarded by the peace of God. A peace that passes understanding. A peace that doesn’t make sense. A peace that God gives to those who offer him all that they are anxious about and allow him to take it.
I need to constantly remind myself of the promises of God and his goodness when not much else makes sense. I’m also learning that much of the time, what we pray for and care about is not entirely within our control. We can’t force our hopes to materialise. When we try to control outcomes, we carry a burden too heavy to bear. In verse 22, David brings his concerns and fears to God, asking him to take over and take care of the problems he’s facing. Like David, we need to let go. God promises to sustain our hearts and minds with his peace. And no matter what he chooses to do with what concerns us, we have the assurance that his decisions are guided by his love for us.
‘Whatever it is that thou desirest God should give thee, leave it to him to give it in his own way and time.’ Matthew Henry