Roll Your Burdens On God.

“Give your burdens to the LORD, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.” ­– Psalms 55:22 NLT

These two Psalms were written by David, most likely when he was living in exile outside Jerusalem after his son, Absalom, had taken over the city and his throne. David finds himself living the life of a renegade again. He is on the outside, looking in, as his son rules in his place. He is the anointed king of Israel, appointed by God Himself, yet he is in hiding instead of reigning. David’s days of despair and disappointment are far from over. These two Psalms graphically portray the sorrow he is experiencing. He even describes the pain of having been portrayed by a close friend. This is likely a reference to Ahithophel, his personal adviser, who was now working for Absalom. He best friend had turned on him along with his own son. So David knew what it was to suffer heartache and disappointment. He knew what it meant to live with fear and a sense of pending doom. He knew what it meant to have an uncertain future. And he also knew he could have two basic responses in times like these. One was to long for release by flight. “Oh, how I wish I had wings like a dove; then I would fly away and rest! I would fly far away to the quiet of the wilderness” (Psalms 55:6-7 NLT). He had thoughts of running away or simply escaping from all his troubles. This was more a wish than a plan. It was unrealistic, but it’s what goes through our minds when faced with trouble and trials. David just longed to be somewhere else. But each morning when he woke up, he found himself in the same place faced with the same difficulties.

That’s why David had another plan: To trust God. “I will call on God, and the LORD will rescue me. Morning, noon, and night I plead aloud in my distress, and the LORD hears my voice. He rescues me and keeps me safe from the battle waged against me, even though many still oppose me. God, who is king forever, will hear me” (Psalms 55:17-19 NLT). He couldn’t escape his difficulty, so he decided to take his difficulties to God. And he was relentless in his pursuit of God – morning, noon, and night he plead. He couldn’t run away, but he could run to God, and he did. Because he knew God was his only hope. And he knew God was a reliable, faithful source of hope. “The LORD is my strength, my shield from every danger. I trust in him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving” (Psalms 28:7 NLT). David knew that the result of trusting God was joy. God would not let him down. Times might be tough, but relief and release were on their way. God would answer. And David would rejoice.

Father, I can relate to David. When times get tough, I tend to catch myself wishing I could just get away. I want to run away and hide. Instead I need to learn to run to You. I need to pursue you doggedly and relentlessly until You answer. I need to turn to You and wait on You, because You are the only source for hope I have. Help me learn to use the times of difficulty in my life to drive me close to You, so that I might learn to trust You more. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org