Cast your burden on the Lord,
Psalm 55:22
and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
the righteous to be moved.
Betrayal. Enemies. Distress. We see all of these things in Psalm 55. Though there is nothing that tells us it is directly connected to our reading in 2 Samuel – it fits with what has happened. This psalm is a lament of the faithful one who prays for the Lord’s help regarding dangerous enemies.
The psalmist lays his request before the Lord (1-3) and proceeds to lay out the situation he is in. In verses 4-8 we can see the desperation and duress. In verses 9-11 the writer prays for God’s wrath upon his enemies. Verses 12-15 reveal the attack is not from some unknown enemy, but someone close to the writer – making it even more painful. In the midst of the desperation and distress, verses 16-19 divert from lamenting the circumstances to return to prayer. And again, in the next few verses he revisits the pain of deception from this companion who has turned on him.
Then in verse 22 the psalmist addresses the reader. A reminder that even in the midst of great trouble, trial, tribulation and hurt – we are to cast our burden on the LORD. In verse 23 there is a promise that the Lord will cast down the enemies of the faithful. Note it doesn’t tell us when this will happen, but the faithful will trust in God’s timing because He sustains them (verse 22b). The psalm ends with the words, “But I will trust in you.”
Once again, a lesson to be learned. We can bring our deepest troubles, worries and calamities to the LORD. We can lament and moan in misery. But it mustn’t end there. We must train our hearts as the psalmist did, to incline our hearts to the One who sustains us in these times (and ALL times). The One who causes the sun to rise in the morning sky, the One who holds all of creation in His hands. That same God sustains each and every one of us through everything in this life. And just as He has purpose in the sun rising, He has purpose in our trials. Trust in Him.
Sola Deo Gloria!
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