Tag: God Hears Our Fears and Gives Rest - Psalm 54-56

Psalms 55:4-8

My heart is in anguish within me;

the terrors of death have fallen upon me.

Fear and trembling come upon me,

and horror overwhelms me.

And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!

I would fly away and be at rest;

yes, I would wander far away;

I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah

I would hurry to find a shelter

from the raging wind and tempest.”

Tag:  God Hears Our Fears

In Psalm 55 David is expression his fear because someone very close to him has turned on him.  Note what he will write in just a few sentences later:

Psalms 55:12-13

For it is not an enemy who taunts me—

then I could bear it;

it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me—

then I could hide from him.

But it is you, a man, my equal,

my companion, my familiar friend.

God is very familiar with our fears and those who torment us and surround us with hate.   We have all, at one time or another, probably felt like David in the above verses:  We just want to get away.  We want to “fly away” and “be at rest.”  That is our heart desire.  Those who put their trust in God have, through the ministry of the Spirit, an inward hunger for rest.   Jesus said it this way:

Matthew 11:28

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

God calls us to rest.   But, how?   Perhaps the letter to the Hebrews gives us a clue. In chapter four of Hebrews the writer talks about a rest that is based upon faith and not our own works:

Hebrews 4:8-9

For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God

In Psalm 55 we see David thinking of using his own strength to find rest ... “oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest,” is his solution to find that rest that Jesus says is only found in him.  To have rest from the wickedness and stress of this life we have to “cease” from working and “rest” on Christ.   We can’t strive for rest.   It is only by faith that we lean into Jesus strength and He, through the ministry of the Spirit, gives us supernatural ability to do the work we are to do.  It is not our work, it is His working within us.   We have all felt like David and wanted to run when betrayed by our familiar companion.  But, we can’t fly away to be at rest.  Note how David ends the Psalm:

Psalms 55:22

Cast your burden on the Lord,

and he will sustain you;

he will never permit

the righteous to be moved.