when you feel like running away (psalm 55) - rbc ministries

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WHEN YOU FEELLIKE RUNNINGAWAY (Psalm 55)

PPastor Roy Clark became a part of our Church

Ministries team in hisseventies. We quickly learned to value his fresh thinking, histhorough commitment to theBible, his wealth of experience,and his deep care and concernfor hurting people.

When Roy recently spoke atour staff chapel on the subjectof this booklet, a number of ussaw the value of putting histhoughts into print.

I personally appreciate what Roy says in the followingpages. I can think of more thana few times when I have felt so overwhelmed by my owninability to face the pressuresand expectations of life that Itoo have wanted to run away.

Martin R. De Haan II

Managing Editor: David Sper Cover Photo & Design:Terry BidgoodUnless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version.Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.All rights reserved.© 2007 RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, Michigan Printed in USA

CONTENTS

Life In Our Modern World . . . . . . . . 2

The Desire To Escape . . . 3

Reciting The Burdens . . . 5The Betrayal Of A Friend . . . . . . . . . . . 6The Rebellion Of A Son . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Responding ToThe Burdens

Escapism. . . . . . . . . . . . 12Bitterness . . . . . . . . . . . 15

The Remedy For Burdens

What We Do . . . . . . . . 17What God Does . . . . . . 22

The Greatest Example. . 30

A Man Who Ran . . . . . . 32

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LIFE IN OURMODERN WORLD

WWhen I was going through

an extremelystressful time in my life, afriend said to me, “You’re offthe charts!” He was referringto a stress test developed by two professors from theUniversity of Washington.Traumatic events in aperson’s life were given a rating. Some of the top stressors were: • death of a spouse• divorce• menopause• death of a family

member• serious injury or illness• getting married• loss of a job

I was off the chartsbecause my first wife had died from cancer, I had remarried, we wereblending six children into anew family, we moved to anew city, we bought a new

house, and I started a newjob. All of this took placewithin a timespan of lessthan 2 years! Stress washigh, and adjustments weremajor.

People have differentways of coping with stress.Alcohol or drugs arepopular “antidotes.” But the stress is still there whenpeople sober up or comedown off their high.

Some decide that anexciting affair is what theyneed for some relief from a hectic life. But when theoffended spouse discoversthe cheating heart, thestress level hits a new high.

Others try to buy theirstress away. So now theyhave a shiny new car in the driveway. But makingthe extra payments doesn’thelp the budget or thestress level.

There are a number ofways to cope with a difficultsituation, but the urge torun away is powerful.

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© 2007 RBC MINISTRIES

THE DESIRE TO ESCAPE

TThe desire to run away from difficultcircumstances to the

“greener pastures” on theother side of fence is notnew or unique. It’s far too common.

I’ve had my times when I’ve wanted to run. I remember a particularlydifficult congregationalmeeting when I was apastor. The dialog washeated, the volume wasloud, and the accusationscame in barbed language.And it didn’t help that myown emotions were alreadyon edge because my wifewas dying.

I felt that the church was landlocked and had noroom for expansion for thechurch or Christian school.My dream was to acquire a100-acre parcel of land nextto a major highway in thecity. This would be a place

to grow. This was ourfuture. But around 10o’clock that night, a motion passed that we table myrecommendation.

My dream was shattered.I not only felt like runningaway—I did. The nextmorning I drove 150 milesto see a friend in anothercity. He gifted me with food and rest. Then, with a listening heart, he putthings in perspective. Myreturn trip was so muchbetter. The heaviness of the night before was lifted.

Have you ever felt likerunning away? Any numberof circumstances couldtrigger your desire to run.• Do you have a boring,

dead-end job where you have no hope ofadvancement?

• Are you in a marriagethat started bright withlove and promise buthas now turned sour by apathy, distrust, orbroken dreams?

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• Do you have a collegeroommate who is driving you up the wall?You were excited aboutcollege life, but now youjust want to bail out.You’re in good

company. Consider these Bible characters:

Jeremiah. The weeping prophet wrote,“Oh, that I had in thewilderness a lodging placefor travelers; that I mightleave my people, and gofrom them!” (Jer. 9:2). Thespiritual collapse of Israelwas more than he couldbear.

Elijah. He was socourageous on Mt. Carmelin the spiritual battle withthe prophets of Baal. Butthe next day, a messagefrom Queen Jezebel with a death threat was enoughto make him run for his life, and then to pray that God would just kill him (1 Ki. 19:1-4).

David. King David

expressed his longing to getaway from his problems inthe kingdom when he said:

Fearfulness and tremblinghave come upon me, andhorror has overwhelmedme. So I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and beat rest. Indeed, I wouldwander far off, andremain in the wilderness”(Ps. 55:5-7).Because I can relate

to the desire to run away, I have grown to deeplyappreciate the life of Davidand the experiences thatprompted him to writePsalm 55. The spiritualjourney he took to recoverhis peace of mind and heartmay be just what you needas well.

As we consider thestruggles David expressedin Psalm 55, we can betterunderstand why we oftenfeel like running away. Andwe will also discover abetter way to respond.

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RECITING THE BURDENS(Ps. 55:2-5)

TThe heading of Psalm55 says that it is “AContemplation Of

David.” David began thesong by begging God tolisten to his cries. Then herecited his burdens to Him.

Attend to me, and hearme; I am restless in mycomplaint, and moannoisily, because of thevoice of the enemy,because of the oppressionof the wicked; for theybring down trouble uponme, and in wrath theyhate me. My heart isseverely pained withinme, and the terrors ofdeath have fallen uponme. Fearfulness andtrembling have comeupon me, and horror hasoverwhelmed me (vv.2-5).You can’t miss it as

you read the opening wordsof this Psalm. Terms like

restless, moan, and painedshow us that King David isan emotional basket case.Still, the word that seems togive the clearest picture ofthis troubled ruler isoverwhelmed (v.5).

The Canadian MentalHealth Association reportsthat “most of us go throughlife solving our day-to-dayproblems without needinghelp to cope with ourfeelings. But sometimesthings get out of hand. Asevere illness, an accident,or an emotional problemcan overwhelm us, at leasttemporarily, and suddenlywe need help.” According to the report, the followingsigns indicate that you need intervention:• You find yourself

overwhelmed by feelingsof anger and despair,and you can’t enjoy lifeanymore.

• You used to be healthy,but now you are alwaysfeeling sick.

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• Your finances are out of control.

• You can’t recover fromgrief.

• You have conflict in your home.Many of these signals of

an overwhelmed, stressed-out person show up in King David’s life. If we lookcloser, we can pinpointtimes in his personal historythat he might have beenreferring to in this Psalm.Was it when he facedGoliath? How about whenhe was threatened by KingSaul? Where in the colorfulcareer of King David couldthis emotional collapse haveoccurred? There’s a clue inverses 12-14:

For it is not an enemywho reproaches me; thenI could bear it. Nor is itone who hates me whohas exalted himselfagainst me; then I couldhide from him. But it wasyou, a man my equal, my companion and my

acquaintance. We tooksweet counsel together,and walked to the houseof God in the throng. Who was David’s

“companion”? His namewas Ahithophel. David was struggling because his friend betrayed him,and the friendship had been lost.

THE BETRAYAL OF A FRIENDNot much is found in 2 Samuel about David and Ahithophel’s friendship.But the words David usedin Psalm 55:13-14 tell us what a man-to-manfriendship can be.

David used thesedescriptive phrases abouthis counselor-friend:• “My companion.” These

two men were friendswho enjoyed doingthings together.

• “My acquaintance.” The New InternationalVersion translates it “my

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close friend.” Someonein David’s inner circle ofconfidants.

• “Sweet counsel.” Theyfellowshiped as theywalked to worship. There was a spiritual

chemistry between Davidand Ahithophel. And sincethe friendship was close,the betrayal left a deepwound. The intensity of his pain may be bestunderstood through David’swords in verses 20-21:

He has put forth hishands against those who were at peace withhim; he has broken hiscovenant. The words ofhis mouth were smootherthan butter, but war wasin his heart; his wordswere softer than oil, yetthey were drawn swords.Ahithophel violated his

covenant and his promiseto be a faithful advisor toKing David. The charmingpersonality and good looksof David’s son Absalom

won his allegiance (2 Sam.14:25). David was probablytoo busy running thekingdom to notice that hiscounselor was missing a lotof meetings. Second Samuel15 records Absalom’sconspiracy against hisfather gaining strength as200 men from Jerusalemmoved to Absalom’s side.And then the text says,“Absalom sent forAhithophel, . . . David’scounselor” (v.12). And hecame, wanting to be on the correct side politically.

When David found out that his friend andcounselor had joinedAbsalom, you can hear the bitterness in his heart when he says, “O Lord, I pray, turn the counsel of Ahithophel intofoolishness!” (2 Sam.15:31).

David knew betrayalintimately. There’s an oldsaying: “What goes aroundcomes around.” This is

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what happened to David.The king had a record ofbetrayal in his own career.In his desperate effort tocover his adultery withBathsheba and thepregnancy that followed,David betrayed the loyalsoldier and husband Uriah.He brought Uriah homefrom battle to sleep with his wife in a maneuver tomake it appear that Uriahwas the father of the baby.But it didn’t work! Uriahwas committed to serve thecommander-in-chief andwanted to return to battle.In the face of such loyalty,David betrayed Uriah witha secret note to CaptainJoab. Second Samuel 11:14-17 records the account ofthat betrayal:

In the morning ithappened that Davidwrote a letter to Joab andsent it by the hand ofUriah. And he wrote inthe letter, saying, “SetUriah in the forefront of

the hottest battle, andretreat from him, that hemay be struck down anddie.” So it was, whileJoab besieged the city,that he assigned Uriah to a place where he knewthere were valiant men.Then the men of the citycame out and fought withJoab. And some of thepeople of the servants ofDavid fell; and Uriah theHittite died also.David had betrayed

Uriah, and now he himselfwas on the receiving end ofbetrayal from his formerfriend and counselor,Ahithophel.

The wound of the lostfriendship with Ahithophelwas probably great becauseDavid’s friendships were sodeep. Losing a close friendis painful and leaves usfeeling empty inside.

Ruth Graham, daughterof Billy Graham, writes inLegacy Of Faith about howher father handled the

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betrayal and loss of a close friend named CharlesTempleton. They attendedWheaton College togetherand were on staff in theearly days of Youth forChrist. Eventually they took dramatically differentcareer paths. Grahamtraveled the world as an evangelist preaching the gospel. Templetonembraced theologicalliberalism, which causedhim to walk away from the faith. He ended upworking in Toronto as a talk-show host.

The wound of Graham’slost friendship wasdeepened by Templeton’spublic criticism of Billy’sministry. He said thatGraham was hopelessly out of date and that nobodystill believed what he waspreaching. Templeton’scritical words accentuatedBilly’s loss.

You don’t have to be a Billy Graham or a King

David to feel the sense of loss when a friendshipthat was nurtured over theyears is fractured. You may

have had a relationship that ended because of adisagreement that couldn’tbe mended. You feel deeplywounded because thatfriend has walked away.

Or maybe your closefriend has died. You couldn’tbelieve it when you heardthe word cancer. You were

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You don’t have to be a BillyGraham or a King David

to feel the sense of loss when

a friendship thatwas nurtured over the years is fractured.



there during chemo, broughtgifts, read Scripture in thehospital room, and prayedwith a lump in your throat.Now your friend is gone.Though David’s pain wasrooted in betrayal, you arefeeling a similar sense ofloss.

David faced anotherbetrayal related toAhithophel’s. But this one hurt even more—thatof his son Absalom.

THE REBELLION OF A SONDavid’s relationship with his children was notgood. That was one of theconsequences of his affairwith Bathsheba. He hadrepented of this sin (Ps. 51),but Nathan’s prophecyindicated that God would“raise up adversity againstyou from your own house”(2 Sam. 12:11).

The stolen pleasure of one sexual encounterbrought years of pain to

the family. The twin sins of fornication and murdersoon resurfaced in David’sfamily. His son Amnonraped his half-sister Tamar. Eventually Absalom, Tamar’s brother,had Amnon murdered (2 Sam. 13:1-29).

Then Absalom initiated a mutiny against his father’skingship. He underminedhis authority by placinghimself as judge of thepeople’s disagreements:

In this manner Absalomacted toward all Israelwho came to the king forjudgment. So Absalomstole the hearts of themen of Israel (2 Sam.15:6).Absalom’s rebellion

seems to be the result of therage that had been buildingin his heart for some time.

As we saw earlier,Absalom took 200 men with him to Hebron,including David’s counselorAhithophel. The conspiracy

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grew ever stronger, as “the people with Absalomcontinually increased innumber” (15:12).

The subsequent anger ofDavid toward Absalom andhis rebellion produced a 5-year refusal to forgive hisson. Absalom was isolated,and he burned with rageagainst his father’s refusalto forgive. David refused todo for Absalom what Godhad done for him—forgiveand restore.

Are there any sadderwords in the Old Testamentthan the cry of David afterhearing of the death of hisson Absalom?

The king was deeplymoved, and went up tothe chamber over thegate, and wept. And as hewent, he said thus: “O myson Absalom—my son,my son Absalom—if onlyI had died in your place!O Absalom my son, myson!” (2 Sam. 18:33).If only he had said those

words while Absalom wasalive! His son never heardthat his father’s love was so deep that he was worthdying for—all becauseDavid was so hurt byAbsalom’s rebellion.

Dr. John White, in his book Parents In Pain,reminds us that there aretwo teachings on parentingin the book of Proverbs. For Mom and Dad, there is the “train up” challengeof Proverbs 22:6. For sons and daughters, there are the opening 9 chapters ofthe wisdom of Proverbs.

God’s truth is to befollowed by parents andchildren. It takes two tomake a marriage work, and it takes two (parentsand children) to makeparenting successful.

Maybe you identifyclosely with the strainedrelationship that David hadwith his son. You dreamedthat life in your householdwould be different. You did

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your best to follow biblicalteaching for raising yourchildren. You read the bookof Proverbs over and overbecause of the parentingwisdom found there. Andyou really tried to “walk the talk.” But today you are troubled and confusedbecause your son ordaughter is showing nointerest in the church or in the Bible or in havingChristian friends. You havequoted “Train up a child inthe way he should go, andwhen he is old he will notdepart from it” (Prov. 22:6).The words seem like amockery in your doubtingheart.

When our hearts are broken and deeplywounded, we will betempted to respond the way David did.

RESPONDING TOTHE BURDENS (Ps. 55:6-15)

DDavid’s first responseto his crushing

burden wasescapism. He wanted to run away!

ESCAPISM (vv.6-8)So I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!I would fly away and beat rest. Indeed, I wouldwander far off, andremain in the wilderness.I would hasten my escapefrom the windy storm and tempest.” It’s not wrong to escape

from the pressures of life.There’s a justifiable escapethat we call a getaway, aretreat, a sabbatical, oreven a vacation. JesusHimself invited the Twelveto “come aside . . . and resta while” (Mk. 6:31).

When David wished for wings, however, he was

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longing for a different kind of escape. This one is described in Dr. PaulTournier’s book The HealingOf Persons, in a chapter hetitles “Flights.” He writes:

When a man does notfeel strong enough, whenhe despairs of solvingsome vital problem in his life, he triesinstinctively to concealhis defeat by runningaway. There is a flightinto dreams. The escapeoften takes the form of a continuous story, anovel in many episodesin which a person tellshimself, he is the hero. It is a secret treasureinto which he pours the best of himself.An example of “a flight

into dreams” is the shortstory by James Thurber, The Secret Life Of WalterMitty. Walter Mitty, a mild-mannered, henpeckedmouse of a man, daydreamsabout being a hero in a

variety of situations. Insuccessive fantasies, he is a pilot of a US Navy flyingboat in a terrible storm, a magnificent surgeonperforming a one-of-a-kindsurgery, the greatest pistolshooter in the world on trialfor murder, and finally aWWII Royal Air Force pilotvolunteering for a daringsuicide mission to bomb an ammunition dump.

There are other types of “flights” or escapes thatDr. Tournier mentions. He continues:

There is a flight into thepast. Many people havetheir eyes constantlyturned backward. Theyrelive the Golden Age, a distant era in whichthey were happier amidsuccesses and joys. Thenthere is flight into thefuture, ideas that arenever followed up withactions. There is theflight into addictions . . .alcohol and drugs. Or

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the flight intoworkaholism. Somebecome neurotic.When I read this

description, I realized thatwhen my first wife died atthe age of 50, I took theflight of the workaholic. Iwas extremely lonely, so I felt that if I worked dayand night leading ourchurch, I would conquermy loneliness. I escaped—until I arrived home to anempty house each night.

David was longing for wings to escape. And eventually when therebellion of his son reacheda life-threatening level,David did run away. Theescape story is found in 2 Samuel 15:14-21.

David said to all hisservants who were withhim at Jerusalem, “Arise,and let us flee, or we shallnot escape from Absalom.Make haste to depart, lesthe overtake us suddenlyand bring disaster upon

us, and strike the citywith the edge of thesword” (v.14).The emotion of leaving

Jerusalem and strugglingwith a conspiracy andbetrayal was too much for David to handle. Tearsflowed down those royalcheeks. Even his loyalfollowers wept. Read howthe author of 2 Samueldescribes the scene:

So David went up by theAscent of the Mount ofOlives, and wept as hewent up; and he had hishead covered and wentbarefoot. And all thepeople who were with himcovered their heads andwent up, weeping as theywent up (15:30).If the situation weren’t

bad enough already, asDavid descended themountain of escape,someone came out andcursed him and threwstones at him.

Now when King David 14



came to Bahurim, therewas a man from the familyof the house of Saul,whose name was Shimeithe son of Gera, comingfrom there. He came out,cursing continuously as hecame. And he threw stonesat David and at all theservants of King David.And all the people and allthe mighty men were onhis right hand and on hisleft. Also Shimei said thuswhen he cursed: “Comeout! Come out! Youbloodthirsty man, yourogue! The Lord hasbrought on you all theblood of the house of Saul,in whose place you havereigned; and the Lord hasdelivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son. So now you are caught in your own evil, because you are a bloodthirsty man!” (2 Sam. 16:5-8).Proverbs 18:21 tells us

about the power of words:

“Death and life are in thepower of the tongue.” Davidwas hearing some of those“death-giving words” fromShimei.

Have you been goingthrough a tough season ofloss or betrayal? You maynot have felt the sting ofreal stones, but harsh wordsmay have been thrownback and forth in a dialogyou wish you could erasefrom your memory. Maybeyou’re still recovering froma violent exchange of wordswith a rebellious son ordaughter or angry friendand you want to runaway—or you have alreadyrun away. If so, you knowhow the king felt!

David’s painful escape from Jerusalem was followed by anotherresponse, but this one was in his heart.

BITTERNESS (vv.9-15) David’s language in thefollowing verses shows

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us that he joined the bitterness club. Hisresponse was rage comingfrom a bitter heart:

Destroy, O Lord, anddivide their tongues, for I have seen violence andstrife in the city. Day andnight they go around iton its walls; iniquity andtrouble are also in themidst of it. Destruction is in its midst; oppressionand deceit do not departfrom its streets. . . . Letdeath seize them; let themgo down alive into hell,for wickedness is in theirdwellings and amongthem (vv.9-11,15). Yes, David was very

bitter over a son who hadrebelled against him and a friend who had betrayedhim. The passage recordssome of the strongestlanguage that David everused. This is a paragraphpunctuated withprovocative ideas like“destruction,” “oppression,”

“deceit,” and “let deathseize them.”

The fact that Davidwished his “companion and. . . acquaintance” (v.13)dead indicates his level ofbitterness. Hebrews 12:15talks about a root ofbitterness “springing up” inour heart and many being“defiled” by it. David wasthere. Listen to his bitterheart as he hears that hisfriend Ahithophel hasbetrayed him and is on the side of Absalom.

Then someone told David, saying,“Ahithophel is among the conspirators withAbsalom.” And Davidsaid, “O Lord, I pray,turn the counsel ofAhithophel intofoolishness!” (2 Sam. 15:31).There is an escalator

that anger rides. It beginswith being upset, and then goes to anger. Thenbitterness comes and rises

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to rage. At the top of theescalator is the desire tokill. We don’t have to watchthe nightly news for long to see that each day dozensof people act out theirbitterness and rage. Theykill fellow students whohave derided them, parentswho have abused them,judges who have sentencedthem, or employers whohave downsized them.

Do you have a bitterspirit over a disappointmentin life or a betrayal or ashattered dream? In hisbook Shattered Dreams,Larry Crabb says that whenlife turns sour for us we will either turn to addictivebehavior or to a deep desireto know God in a betterand more intimate way.

When we areoverwhelmed withdisappointment and griefand we want to escape orturn bitter, we can chooseanother way. Let’s look at what David did.

THE REMEDYFOR BURDENS(Ps. 55:16-17,22)

DDavid finally rolledhis heavy burden

onto the strongshoulders of the Lord.

As for me, I will call uponGod, and the Lord shallsave me. Evening andmorning and at noon Iwill pray, and cry aloud,and He shall hear myvoice. . . . Cast yourburden on the Lord, andHe shall sustain you; Heshall never permit therighteous to be moved(vv.16-17,22). As we look carefully at

these verses, we discoverthat there is something Godwants us to do, and alsosomething wonderful Hepromises to do for us.

WHAT WE DOWe begin to see David’srestoration as he returns to his habit of prayer at

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“evening and morning andat noon” (v.17)—probablythe traditional times forprayer in the lives of God’schosen people (see Dan.6:10). He prays as hiscustom was fromchildhood.

Relief from the doubleburden of betrayal andrebellion came as Davidwent to his knees in prayer and cast his burden on the Lord.

Pastor and Bible teacher Chuck Swindoll has a unique way ofteaching people to cast their burdens on the Lord.Whenever he leads tours tothe Holy Land, he stops atthe Sea of Galilee, wherethe group will board a boatfor the 9-mile trip across.Prior to boarding, he askseveryone to pick up a rockand let it symbolize theheaviest burden on theirheart that day. Halfwayacross the Sea of Galileethey drop anchor, where

Swindoll asks them to casttheir burden (their rock)into the water. Whenpeople from the tour gethome, they often mentionthat moment as theirfondest memory.

What does it mean to“cast your burden”? Theconcordance lists manyHebrew words that aretranslated “cast.” The word in Psalm 55:22 is the word shalak. Strong’sConcordance has aninteresting note that thenoun form of this word canrefer to a pelican because ofthe way it casts itself intothe sea to capture its prey.

When I’ve been on thebeach in Florida on theGulf of Mexico side, I’veseen this occur dozens oftimes. The pelican glidesgracefully over the bluewaters of the Gulf. Then it casts itself into the waterwith abandonment andpurpose. What a picture of the way God wants us

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to approach Him in prayer! Peter echoes the words

of the psalmist (55:22) inhis wonderful invitationfound in 1 Peter 5:7,“Casting all your care uponHim, for He cares for you.”

David calls it a “burden”and Peter describes it as a“care.” Interestingly, thepsalmist David’s wordburden is used only once in the Old Testament, and it means “what theprovidence of God hasbrought into your life that is your current burden.” We know that for David itwas loss and betrayal. ForPeter’s readers, it referred to the trials they were goingthrough as pilgrims of thedispersion.

What’s your burdentoday? David and Peterwould advise you to cast it on the Lord!

There is such a beautifulpicture of this in the classicallegory Pilgrim’s Progressby John Bunyan. The main

character, Christian, takes a journey from the City ofDestruction to the City ofGod. As the story opensand we meet Christian, atinker, we notice that hehas a heavy burden on hisback. (A tinker carries a 60-pound anvil on his back touse in his work of repairingmetal kitchen utensils.)Here’s the account of the wonderful moment of Christian’s conversion as his burden is cast off:

Now I saw in my dreamthat the highway upwhich Christian was totravel was fenced oneither side with a wall,and that wall was calledSalvation. Up this waytherefore, did Christianrun, but not withoutgreat difficulty becauseof the load on his back.

He ran until he cameto a hill, and upon thathill stood a cross, and at the bottom was asepulcher. So I saw in

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my dream that just asChristian came up to the cross, his burdenwas loosened from hisshoulders and fell fromhis back and began totumble, and continuedto do so until it came to the mouth of thesepulcher, where it fellin, and I saw it no more.

Then Christian wasglad and lightheartedand said with a merryheart, “He has given merest through his sorrow,and life through hisdeath.” He stood still a while to look andwonder, for it surprisedhim that the sight of thecross should thus easehim of his burden. He looked and looked until the tears streamed down his cheeks (TheNew Pilgrim’s Progress,Discovery HousePublishers, pp.54-55).I invite you to cast that

“60-pound anvil” on your

back onto the Lord of the cross. Whatever yourburden, cast it on Him. You will find relief andexperience Jesus to be thegreat Burden Bearer.

David learned to cast hisburden on God and seemedto conquer his bitterness ashe grew older. Later, hesuffered another majordisappointment and ashattered dream.

He wanted to build atemple for God, a seeminglynoble act of generosity. Butthe Lord would not allow it.

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Whatever yourburden, cast it onthe Lord. You willfind relief and

experience Him to be the greatBurden Bearer.



The story is told in 1 Chronicles 28:2-6.

King David rose to hisfeet and said, “Hear me,my brethren and mypeople: I had it in myheart to build a house of rest for the ark of thecovenant of the Lord, andfor the footstool of ourGod, and had madepreparations to build it.But God said to me, ‘Youshall not build a housefor My name, becauseyou have been a man of war and have shedblood.’ However the LordGod of Israel chose meabove all the house of my father to be king overIsrael forever . . . . And ofall my sons (for the Lordhas given me many sons)He has chosen my sonSolomon to sit on thethrone of the kingdom ofthe Lord over Israel. NowHe said to me, ‘It is yourson Solomon who shallbuild My house and My

courts; for I have chosenhim to be My son, and Iwill be his Father.’ ”It’s a significant story.

The Lord turned David’soffer to build into a promiseof God to build—not abuilding but a kingdom.This Davidic kingdom thatwas promised will reach as far as the days of theMessiah, who will sit on thethrone of His father David.

But there’s more. Howdid David show he hadlearned from the bitternessof the past? Read a littlefurther. David gave his son Solomon his blessing(28:9), his plans (v.11), his money (vv.14-19), hismotivation (v.20), and hisprayers (29:11-19). Whathe hadn’t given to Absalom,he learned to give to his son Solomon.

David shows us thatbitterness can be overcomeand disappointments canbe conquered. He finallycame to the place of casting

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his burden upon God withabandonment and with ahopeful heart.

Out of that experience of answered prayer, Davidshares with us what Godpromises to do on ourbehalf.

WHAT GOD DOESHe Sustains Us

[The Lord] shall sustainyou (Ps. 55:22a).We need to see that

God’s promise is not to remove the burden.Sometimes He does, but thepromise here is to sustainus—to see us through.

Absalom was still angry at his father and wasgathering followers, but Godsustained David’s spirit.

Second Samuel 16–17records the strategy ofAbsalom to capture and kill his own father. Thestory sounds like a game of chess. David arrives at a small village on the otherside of the Jordan River

called Mahanaim. And Godprompts a few kind andcaring villagers to be Hissustainers of David. Here’swhat they did:

Now it happened, when David had come to Mahanaim, that Shobithe son of Nahash fromRabbah of the people ofAmmon, Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and Barzillai theGileadite from Rogelim,brought beds and basins,earthen vessels andwheat, barley and flour,parched grain and beans,lentils and parched seeds,honey and curds, sheepand cheese of the herd,for David and the peoplewho were with him to eat. For they said, “Thepeople are hungry andweary and thirsty in thewilderness” (2 Sam.17:27-29).No one today knows

about the people or placesmentioned in this passage.

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But David remembered.And you will remember thepeople God uses as Hissustainers when you are inyour wilderness and receivehelp. You will never forgettheir names or theirkindness.

The particular word forsustain in Psalm 55:22 isalso used in the followingtwo Old Testamentpassages, and each incidentadds to our understandingof how God sustains us.

Elijah In TheWilderness. The prophetexperienced God meetinghis needs. Note the words“provide for” in verse 9,which can also be translated “sustain.”

The word of the Lordcame to [Elijah], saying,“Arise, go to Zarephath,which belongs to Sidon,and dwell there. See, Ihave commanded awidow there to provide for you” (1 Ki. 17:8-9).The water from the

Brook Cherith and thebread from the ravenshelped for a while, but then the brook dried up(vv.3-7). So God told Elijahto journey to Zarephath inSidon where he would betaken care of by a widow.I’m sure Elijah was hopingfor a rich widow, but Godled him to a woman whowas so poor she was in the process of gatheringsticks to prepare the last meal on earth for

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God doesn’tpromise to remove our

burden.Sometimes

He does, but His promise is to sustain us—

to see us through.



herself and her son (v.12). When Elijah asked the

widow for some water and a morsel of bread, she toldhim about her desperateplight. She had only ahandful of flour and a littlebit of oil—barely enough for two small meals, but not enough for three.

But Elijah persisted and simply said:

Do not fear; go and do as you have said, butmake me a small cakefrom it first, and bring itto me; and afterwardmake some for yourselfand your son (v.13).What initially sounds

like blatant selfishness onElijah’s part was instead anopportunity to introduce thiswidow to God. She wouldsee His miracle-workingpower and the evidence ofHis love and care for Elijahand for her family. The story,however, is not as muchabout the widow herself as it is about God working

through the widow to meetthe prophet’s needs.

Many years ago, I wasattempting to earn a divinitydegree in seminary in 1 year instead of 2. It was astretch—a thesis to write,classwork to finish, a 35-hour-a-week job in a brake-lining factory to provide formy wife and 2-year-old son.Then my dad called andmade a surprising offer:“Quit your job during thelast 3 months of seminary,write your thesis, and I willsend you a check everyweek until you graduate.”

I quit my job, my dadsent the checks, and Ifinished my degree. Atgraduation, I told my dad,“This degree is as muchyours as it is mine.” Godhad provided for him andfor me—a reminder thatGod sustains us insurprising ways.

The Children Of IsraelIn The Wilderness. Theword sustain is also used

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in Nehemiah 9:21. Itspeaks of God’s provisionfor His people while theywandered in the wilderness.

Forty years You sustained [Your people]in the wilderness; theylacked nothing; theirclothes did not wear outand their feet did notswell (see also Dt. 29:5).God supernaturally

provided food for Hischosen people for 40 years!It was called manna—thebread from heaven.

When the layer of dew lifted, there, on thesurface of the wilderness,was a small roundsubstance as fine as frost on the ground. Sowhen the children ofIsrael saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did notknow what it was. AndMoses said to them, “Thisis the bread which theLord has given you toeat” (Ex. 16:14-15).

For 40 years, about 11cups (1 omer) of mannawere divinely provided eachday for every person on thewilderness journey (v.16).John 6:32-33 assures usthat this 40-year breaddelivery was from God’sheavenly bakery.

I have a good friend whoentered Bible college a littlelater in life. He and his wifeand three children had tolive a hand-to-mouthexistence while he was in college. To support hisfamily, he had a job as adesk clerk at a local motel.

One day he walked 3miles to work because therewas no money for gas. Hisparting words to his wifewere, “Let me know if themailman brings anything.”The mail came, but therewasn’t any money. When itwas suppertime, his wife setthe table with dishes, eventhough they didn’t have any food. She gathered herthree children around an

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old upright piano and theysang the hymn “God WillTake Care Of You.”

The third verse was achallenge for them to sing:“All you may need He willprovide. God will take careof you.”

Just then, there was aknock on the door of theirmobile home. The newlymarried wife from next door stood there with ahuge bowl of spaghetti. For her first attempt atcooking spaghetti, she had used two pounds for two people! She asked,“Could you use some?”Could they!

Our sustaining God had once again faithfullycared for His children! The words of King Davidring true: “I have beenyoung, and now am old; yet I have not seen therighteous forsaken, nor his descendants beggingbread” (Ps. 37:25).

He Stabilizes Us[The Lord] shall neverpermit the righteous to be moved (Ps. 55:22b).The Hebrew word

for moved is translated anumber of ways in the OldTestament to help us get aclear picture of the promise.God will not let Hischildren slip, slide, fall, or be removed.

It’s helpful to look at another psalm Davidcomposed during thisstressful season of life. Thesuperscription of Psalm 3reads: “A Psalm of Davidwhen he fled from Absalomhis son.” He wrote:

Lord, how they haveincreased who troubleme! Many are they whorise up against me. Manyare they who say of me“There is no help for himin God.” But You, OLord, are a shield for me,my glory and the Onewho lifts up my head. Icried to the Lord with my

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voice, and He heard mefrom His holy hill. I laydown and slept; I awoke,for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid often thousands of peoplewho have set themselvesagainst me all around.Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God! For You havestruck all my enemies onthe cheekbone; You havebroken the teeth of theungodly. Salvationbelongs to the Lord. Your blessing is uponYour people (Ps. 3).In these eight verses

we discover the stabilizingpower of our God when the foundations of our lifeare shaken. God is:• our shield• our glory• the lifter of our head• our sustainer• our savior

No matter how large anarmy Absalom assembled,David had his God.

When we experience

testing times, a watchingworld of neighbors,relatives, and co-workerswait to examine the realityof our trust in God. The

modern-day doubters maysay there is no help in ourGod, but we can reply withDavid’s words: “Salvationbelongs to the Lord” (v.8).

I like the comments ofauthor W. Graham Scroggieabout David in Psalm 3:

The wave whichthreatens to overwhelm

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When weexperience testingtimes, a watching

world of neighbors,relatives, and

co-workers wait to examine

the reality of our trust in God.



David is growing involume and momentum;his cause is pronouncedhopeless. Yet his trust inGod remains unshaken.He seemed to be exposedto the arrows of falsefriends, but the Lord washis shield; he appeared to be plunged into gloom,but the Lord was hisglory; men had cast him down, but the Lord would lift him up.In the New Testament,

the apostle Paul shows us the stabilizing power of God as he writes in 2 Corinthians 4:7-9.

This priceless treasure we hold, so to speak, in a common earthenwarejar—to show that thesplendid power of itbelongs to God and not tous. We are handicappedon all sides, but we are never frustrated; we are puzzled, but never in despair. We arepersecuted, but we never

have to stand it alone: we may be knocked downbut we are never knockedout! (J. B. Phillips).I join David and Paul

in thanking the God whostabilizes our heart. I havejust celebrated a 50-yearanniversary of serving theLord in the ministry. By Hisgrace, I have pastored 10churches and served on the mission field. On thisjourney with God, I havebeen through manystresses, yet my family andI have been kept by God’sstabilizing power. He haskept us in remarkable ways.

A number of years ago, I visited some Christianworkers serving in theMiddle East, one of the mostdifficult places in the worldto serve Him. We had cometo give care and counsel. Iplanned to teach Psalm 55on a Friday morning. But onThursday night, my wife andI received a phone call fromone of our daughters. I

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could tell by the facialexpression of my wife thatshe was hearing troublingnews. Our daughter’s son (our grandson), who hadbeen slow in learning to talk,had just been diagnosedwith “cognitive thinkingproblems.”

A dozen questions racedthrough our minds. Whatdid that mean for his future?How can he be helped? Weprayed that night and castthis burden on the Lord.The next morning we feltsustained by God and ourburden lifted. And I sensedthat I could now teachPsalm 55, because I had anew taste of His sustainingand stabilizing power.

I don’t know what kindof burden you’re carryingtoday. In Psalm 55, KingDavid was struggling with a rebellious son and thebetrayal of a close friend.Although your burden maybe different than whatDavid was experiencing,

you also feel like runningaway. You long to get in thecar and drive someplace—anyplace! You just want toescape the overwhelmingstress that weighs like a tonof bricks on your heart.

Maybe you have thesame bitter attitude thatKing David talked honestlyabout. It could be thatanger and bitterness areyour daily companions. Youcan’t shake the attitude.

The first step in healingis honesty. Coming to thepoint where you will unloadyour burden on the broadshoulders of your heavenlyFather may take a while.

All of us are on ajourney. When we arecarrying a heavy load,God’s wonderful promise to sustain us is what wewant and what we need.David wrote, “Cast yourburden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you” (Ps.55:22). That’s what Daviddid. So can you.

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THE GREATESTEXAMPLE

NNo portion ofScripture has been more helpful

to me in dark times thanthe account of Jesus in theGarden of Gethsemane.When my first wife wasdying of cancer (the fourthmember in a family of fourto face this battle), I studiedJesus’ prayer in the Gardenof Gethsemane.

Jesus was betrayed byJudas, denied by Peter, and forsaken by all Hisdisciples. This seriousprayer of Jesus recorded in Matthew 26 helped me in my own distress.

I found that we canmake our difficult timeseither a mirror or a window.We can take our dark nightof adversity and make it amirror to look into and beovercome with self-pity. Orwe can make difficult timesa window to see through.

The mirror reveals us; thewindow shows us the worldfilled with people who arewalking the same path. In 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 it says:

All praise to God, the Father of our LordJesus Christ. God is ourmerciful Father and thesource of all comfort. Hecomforts us in all ourtroubles so that we cancomfort others. Whenthey are troubled, we willbe able to give them thesame comfort God hasgiven us (NLT).

Let’s look now at Jesus’prayer and discover how He cast His burden on HisFather. Then we can follow

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We can make our difficult timeseither a mirror or a window.



His example when we’redistressed and when we’rehelping to comfort others.

Jesus’ Prayer ForDeliveranceJesus was in deep distress,and He prayed first for the removal of the cup ofsuffering. This is the startingplace for all of us. We prayfor rescue, deliverance, andescape. In Matthew 26:39,we read:

He went a little fartherand fell on His face, andprayed, saying, “O MyFather, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.

Jesus’ Prayer OfAcceptanceThe first prayer was for deliverance, but thesecond prayer was one ofacceptance. There was aslight change in the wordingof Jesus’ prayer the secondtime He prayed:

O My Father, if this cupcannot pass away fromMe unless I drink it, Yourwill be done (v.42).

Jesus’ Prayer ForGlorificationThe third level of prayer isglorification. Jesus desiredthat God’s grace would beseen in Him and that HisFather would be glorified.

There is another place in the Gospels where Jesuswas praying about thecross. It is in John 12:27-28,

Now My soul is troubled,and what shall I say?“Father, save Me fromthis hour”? But for thispurpose I came to thishour. Father, glorify Your name. We too can cast our

burdens on the Lord andhelp others to do so. Mayour deepest desire be thatGod’s grace would be seenin us and that He would be glorified in our stressfultimes.

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A MANWHO RAN

AAurelio came to the USfrom Cuba to follow

the “AmericanDream.” He settled inCalifornia and designed adog house to sell. He soldthousands of them. After a few years, he sold hisbusiness for $62 million.

Even with all thatmoney, Aurelio confessedthat he had an empty placein his heart. Although hewas not a religious man, heand his wife enrolled theirchildren in a Christianschool. And that’s when a school principal namedRandy entered his life.

Over breakfast onemorning, Randy askedAurelio what he thought ofJesus. He responded thatJesus was born at Christmasand died at Easter.

Aurelio had run awayfrom life in Cuba and nowwas running away from

marital problems. Randyinvited him to run to Jesus,the One who died for himand could forgive his sin.

Aurelio turned to Christ,and today he’s back inbusiness. But this time he’sin what he refers to as “theLord’s business.” His C28stores (Col. 2:8) are in malls all over the US. And sometimes Aurelioleads a customer to Jesus.

The Lord gave Aureliothis invitation, and it’sextended to you as well:

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavyladen, and I will give yourest. Take My yoke uponyou and learn from Me,for I am gentle and lowlyin heart, and you willfind rest for your souls(Mt. 11:28-29). When you feel like

running away, run to Jesus instead, as Aureliodid. Trust Him, and receivethe gift of eternal life Heoffers to you.

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when you feel like running away (psalm 55) - rbc ministries

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