Song of Prayer

Today’s lesson doesn’t take a lot of words. Psalm 55 expresses deep emotions—emotions which come from betrayal and loss. We want to give a modern day label to the emotions in this psalm. David is depressed we might say. But that wouldn’t be fair to David or to the intensity of his words. These are words of shock, dismay, and hurt which go beyond depression. These are words which you have expressed. This psalm captures your heart at times. David is crying out to God. He is in anguish and despair. He longs for answers to questions which cannot be adequately phrased. He begs for relief. He dreams of a day in which there will be a spring in his step. Listen to the first eight verses as they are read and see if you haven’t felt the way David did.

Who hasn’t felt like David, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.”

When sitting beside the bedside of one who is breathing with difficulty and with each rising and falling of the chest, you wonder if life is coming to an end. “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.”

When your co-worker has only negative things to say and even tries to make you look bad in front of your employer. “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.”

When a son or daughter has taken a path that you wouldn’t have chosen; when they are heading in their own direction and you know that the path is leading to destruction. “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.”

When a spouse has only contempt in his or her voice; when the kindness is gone and the wall which separates you both is so thick that no warmth could possibly pass through. “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.”

When a friend betrays you; when a friend rejects you; when a friend only pretends to be your friend; when a friend speaks against you; when a friend takes the precious secret you shared and speaks of it to others. “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.”

When the bills are piling up and for the foreseeable future there seems to be no relief and then the pink slip comes or the hours are reduced or the first of what you know will be many bill collectors begins calling. “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.”

When you are in a dead end job. The dreams of youth have fallen away to the realities of middle age and what once was possible is no longer. Life has little joy and little pleasure. The repetition of going to work, paying bills, and going to bed has produced a deep rut with no future. “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.”

Who hasn’t felt the deep desire to escape; to get away from the immediate; to find a place of rest, comfort, and peace? So what do we do when we want to get away and it isn’t possible to leave? David answers that question for us.

We pray. This psalm is a prayer. It is a prayer in which David pours out his heart to God. It is a prayer asking for God to act. It is a prayer seeking justice. It is a prayer seeking failure for his enemies. It is a prayer in which David honestly expresses the emotions of his heart. He is at the end of his rope. He feels the sting of betrayal. He knows the threats are not idle. He knows what its like to have a trusted loyal friend turn away. And he begs for God not to ignore him and his situation. Maybe part of our difficulty is that we don’t want to admit that legitimate prayer can be like this. While not appropriate for the assembly, it is appropriate for a person who is beyond despair.

This is a prayer of one who has no other place to go. This is a continual prayer. This is a prayer which is born out of frustration, loss, and pressure. Notice in verse 17, David says that morning, noon, and evening he cries out in distress. He cries out believing that God will answer; he cries out trusting that God will act; he cries out knowing that only God can bring an end to his distress. So he prays. Why? Verse 23: “I trust in you.”

David didn’t know when God would act, but he believed he would. Like David we trust God to act in his own time. Such trust is expressed in prayer.

Verse 22 is quoted in 1 Peter 5:7: “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you.” David knew that his strength had to come from God. He couldn’t deal with the betrayal and pressure alone. He trusted God to sustain him. God carries us and sustains us when we feel “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.”

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