Do you feel stuck in a constant state of panic? Are you a frustrated captive to fear and tired of living in defeat? In today's lesson, we will hear from King David as he describes his pain, panic and desire for escape (Psalm 55:4-8), see how he is calmed by the remembrance that his Lord hears him and protects him (Psalm 55:16-19), and we’ll learn how this same remedy applies to us as well.
“Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea; 2 hear me and answer me. My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught 3 because of what my enemy is saying, because of the threats of the wicked; for they bring down suffering on me and assail me in their anger.4 My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen on me. 5 Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me. 6 I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. 7 I would flee far away and stay in the desert; 8 I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm.”… 15“Let death steal over them; let them go down to Sheol alive; for evil is in their dwelling place and in their heart.16 As for me, I call to God, and the Lord saves me. 17 Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice. 18 He rescues me unharmed from the battle waged against me, even though many oppose me. 19 God, who is enthroned from of old, who does not change—he will hear them and humble them, because they have no fear of God… 22 Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. 23 But you, God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of decay; the bloodthirsty and deceitful will not live out half their days. But as for me, I trust in you.” Psalm 55:1-8;15-19;22-23 NIV
In Psalm 55, we find a distressed King David, wounded, betrayed, and suffering, singing out his pain to God (2 Sam. 15:1–12; 16:15–23). Inspired by God, David's words give voice not only to his own experience but also to that of tremulous hearts throughout time and even the anguished cries of Jesus Christ, the Man of Sorrows (Isaiah 53:3, Mark 14:34, Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34). The Old Testament gloriously anticipates Christ's redemptive work for us at the cross. Indeed, Jesus taught that all the Scriptures foretold His suffering, death, and resurrection:
“He [Jesus] said to them [His disciples], “Remember when I was with you before? I said that everything written about me must happen—everything in the law of Moses, the books of the prophets, and the Psalms.” Luke 24:44 NCV [words added]
Throughout Psalm 55, we ride with David on a roller-coaster of emotions, thoughts, and reactions, as fear battered his wounded heart in every way.
David experienced terror and anxiety in his...
Mind flooded with fear: “I am frightened inside; the terror of death has attacked me” (Psalm 55:4 NCV)
Body, which was shaking with fear: “I am scared and shaking, and terror grips me” (Psalm 55:5 NCV)
Spirit, which was torn between anger and aggression toward his tormentors, “Let death take away my enemies. Let them die while they are still young because evil lives with them” (Psalm 55:15 NCV) and wanting to run away and hide, “I would hurry to my place of escape, far away from the wind and the storm” (Psalm 55:8 NCV).
We can all relate to David's effusive response to his difficult circumstances. We've all suffered betrayal and wounds in life, and fear, with all its related emotions, is a natural response to these traumas. But problems come when we live in habitual fear, which elevates self to a central focus, weakens our faith, reduces our ability to worship God (Matthew 22:37), and diminishes our ability to love others (John 13:34-35). We compound our troubles when we remain locked up in panic mode, when we retreat to self-protection or escape to natural comforts like food, sex, people, money, etc.
Even as you acknowledge these consequences, you might be feeling your stomach clench with anguish over your current cares and burdens. Maybe the relentless condemnation of the evil one weighs you down, or your heart is under siege, hardening with stress, and you are, even now, drawing up your emotional drawbridge in self-defense. If this is your agony today, then verse 22 of Psalm 55 is for you:
“Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55:22
Consider, too, the New Testament parallel verse of 1 Peter 5:7 in different translations of the New Testament:
“casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully].” 1 Peter 5:7 AMP
“You can throw the whole weight of your anxieties upon him, for you are his personal concern.” 1 Peter 5:7 Phillips
“Pour out all your worries and stress upon him and leave them there, for he always tenderly cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7 TPT
In Hebrew, the word for ‘burden’ describes the ‘portion’ we have been given, literally a ‘gift’ of affliction that has been assigned to us. We are told, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.” (1 Peter 4:12). Despite how it feels to us, we need to remember that our suffering is light (2 Corinthians 4:17) when compared with what Christ endured for us. Jesus bore all our sin, the full weight of God’s wrath, and Satan’s fiery trials at the cross to purchase a new, abundant life for us (John 10:10, 1 Peter 2:24). We are cherished children (Colossians 3:12) who are loved and protected through the afflictions of our fallen world (Romans 5:12).
Difficult circumstances will not always be removed from us, but as we release our concerns to God in prayer, He will give us a feast of extraordinary sustenance of New Covenant grace. As we look to the beloved Son, the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), we receive faith to trust God and His astounding strength, which is made evident in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9) to bear up under anxiety-producing struggles.
Our blessedly secure position as redeemed and favored children of God is assured by Jesus’ utter faithfulness to us at the hill of Golgotha, never moving from His mission of rescue from sin and enmity with God on the wooden tree of crucifixion:
“At one time you were separated from God. You were his enemies in your minds, and the evil things you did were against God. 22 But now God has made you his friends again. He did this through Christ’s death in the body so that he might bring you into God’s presence as people who are holy, with no wrong, and with nothing of which God can judge you guilty.” Colossians 1:21-22 NCV
The gospel of Jesus Christ is both heart-transforming at our salvation and throughout our sanctification on earth (1 Corinthians 1:18; Romans 6:1-11; Romans 16:25; Hebrews 10:10-14).
We may know Jesus as our Savior, but we can also meet with Him experientially throughout every day. In our times of overwhelming fear and anxiety, Jesus invites us to retreat to His unassailable tower of refuge at Calvary. He has never lost sight of us in our times of distress, though we may have briefly lost sight of Him.
Dear friend, can we look up to the cross now as ones who may have been laboring and heavy laden, and accept the Lamb of God’s offer of rest for our souls (Matthew 11:28-29)? Can we cry out with David: “As for me, I call to God, and the Lord saves me… But as for me, I trust in you.” (Psalm 55:16,23 NIV)?
Jesus calls us to unclench our fists, which have been tightly clasping onto our fears, release our anxieties to Him, and place our hands safely into His nail-scarred ones.
Jesus is the cornerstone of our lives, holding us together, keeping us stable, and strengthening our hearts by His boundless love:
“Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” Ephesians 2:20-21
To solidify this truth in our minds, let’s linger a while longer at the cross, experiencing God’s forgiving and cleansing grace and His calming and loving waves of peace until we sense a lightening of our load of cares. As we rest in Jesus’ righteousness, the joy of our identity in Christ as God’s precious child (Proverbs 18:10; John 14:27) will abound to us.
Jesus was “cast down to Sheol, to the sides of the pit.” (Isaiah 14:15) and humbly took our condemnation, becoming what we were in defilement of sin so we could become what He is in resurrected glory: favored and blessed.