Hear Jesus’ own words of heartache and torment from the cross in Psalm 55. See the assaults of
Satan to drive Jesus almost to the point of madness in His mind, to rescue us from the enemy’s
fearful weapon of death (1 John 3:8):
“I am distraught 3 because of what my enemy is saying, because of the threats of the wicked;”… the terrors of death have fallen on me”… “horror has overwhelmed me.” Psalm 55:2-5 NIV
Overhear the reviling and mockery of the chief priests and bystanders (Matthew 27: 40-44) as
Jesus stood meekly in our place while His body was cut and pierced and thrashed so that by His
wounds He would purchase us, forgive, and purify us of sin (Ezekiel 37:23):
“they bring down suffering on me and assail me in their anger.” Psalm 55:3 NIV
Listen to the voice of Jesus, calling out as His Father turns His face away from His only Son to
secure our eternal audience before God (John 5:24; Hebrews 4:16):
“Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea; 2 hear me and answer me.” Psalm 55:1-2 NIV
Unite your voice with the psalmist now: “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust;” (Psalm 56:3)
How do we fight long-held practices of living in panic and running off to escape in the wilderness of the world and our flesh, as described in Psalm 55:5-8? It starts when we wake up in the morning (no matter how early):
"Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days." Psalm 90:14
As our eyes flicker open, we turn away from our anxious thoughts to the refuge of our Heavenly Father's extravagant love (Ephesians 3:18; Psalm 107:6). In Him, we find new grace to raise our eyes above the demands of the day to see the accomplishments of Jesus, our Substitute, and Burden-bearer (Hebrews 12:2). We exhale in relief and worship as Jesus willingly takes each burden from us and supplies fountains of grace for every need (Philippians 4:19).
As we roll out of our beds, we ask God to help us surrender our fear-filled words, our reluctant and nervous bodies, and our less-than-faithful thoughts to Him:
“In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will prepare [a prayer and a sacrifice] for You and watch and wait [for You to speak to my heart].” Psalm 5:3 AMP.
We remember that Jesus fully surrendered to the Father and finished His work (John 6:38), and endured such opposition from sinners so that we will not grow weary and lose heart (Hebrews 12:3). As we focus our thoughts on Jesus (Hebrews 3:1), we are lifted by His grace to slowly but surely offer words of praise and worship to our Creator and Lord in the strength of Jesus’ obedience and not by our flawed obedience (Philippians 2:8).
Before the busyness of the day overtakes us, we fortify our mind with God's Word and share our hearts with our Beloved (Romans 9:25). We know by faith that Jesus, our Reconciler (Colossians 1:20-23), has cleared the way to the throne room of God, and our Heavenly Father smiles warmly in expectation and love for us to find refuge in Him. We watch and wait to hear God speak in scripture (2 Timothy 3:16) as we delve into the Bible for the personalized treasures of spiritual Manna (Jesus) He has given to fill and satisfy us for the day (Psalm 5:3). We gratefully take His hand-picked gifts of scripture promises with us to feast on, which are "Yes" in Christ, and through Him, the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God (2 Corinthians 1:20).
Question 1: What cares do you need to cast on Jesus at this present time? How does it feel to release these concerns to Jesus?
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Question 2: Could you please write a prayer to your Heavenly Father, declaring the death and resurrection of Christ as sufficient to handle your every fear, relieving your every anxiety? (Mark 10:45; Romans 12:1)?
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Jesus and His cross are our safe retreat in times of panic.