Psalm 55
Psalm 55
Listen to my prayer, O God,
do not ignore my plea;
hear me and answer me.
My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught
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.
My heart is in anguish within me;
the terrors of death have fallen on me.
Fear and trembling have beset me;
horror has overwhelmed me.
I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.
I would flee far away
and stay in the desert;
I would hurry to my place of shelter,
far from the tempest and storm.”
Lord, confuse the wicked, confound their words,
for I see violence and strife in the city.
Day and night they prowl about on its walls;
malice and abuse are within it.
Destructive forces are at work in the city;
threats and lies never leave its streets.
If an enemy were insulting me,
I could endure it;
if a foe were rising against me,
I could hide.
But it is you, a man like myself,
my companion, my close friend,
with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship
at the house of God,
as we walked about
among the worshipers.
Let death take my enemies by surprise;
let them go down alive to the realm of the dead,
for evil finds lodging among them.
As for me, I call to God,
and the Lord saves me.
Evening, morning and noon
I cry out in distress,
and he hears my voice.
He rescues me unharmed
from the battle waged against me,
even though many oppose me.
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.
My companion attacks his friends;
he violates his covenant.
His talk is smooth as butter,
yet war is in his heart;
his words are more soothing than oil,
yet they are drawn swords.
Cast your cares on the Lord
and he will sustain you;
he will never let
the righteous be shaken.
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.
I think we all have days where we would like nothing better than to fly away and be at rest. I think many times (especially lately) we find ourselves with troubled thoughts.
Whatever we are facing though, we can know that He is listening. We can trust Him with all of our hearts. I have shared this verse several times but it bears repeating:
This world feels all swirly right now. Everything feels jumbled up into a giant mess. So knowing that He will make my paths straight even in all this is very reassuring.
This passage is all about reaffirmation. After all, he will never let the righteous be shaken. In a world as shaky as ours right now, I need this message of hope. I think we all do.
I hope and pray that we take courage in this turbulent world because we have a powerful and faithful God. I hope that I take this reminder and let it rest in my soul - that He is trustworthy, that He will continue to lead me and make my paths straight even in a world that has turned upside down.
Listen to my prayer, O God,
do not ignore my plea;
hear me and answer me.
My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught
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.
My heart is in anguish within me;
the terrors of death have fallen on me.
Fear and trembling have beset me;
horror has overwhelmed me.
I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.
I would flee far away
and stay in the desert;
I would hurry to my place of shelter,
far from the tempest and storm.”
Lord, confuse the wicked, confound their words,
for I see violence and strife in the city.
Day and night they prowl about on its walls;
malice and abuse are within it.
Destructive forces are at work in the city;
threats and lies never leave its streets.
If an enemy were insulting me,
I could endure it;
if a foe were rising against me,
I could hide.
But it is you, a man like myself,
my companion, my close friend,
with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship
at the house of God,
as we walked about
among the worshipers.
Let death take my enemies by surprise;
let them go down alive to the realm of the dead,
for evil finds lodging among them.
As for me, I call to God,
and the Lord saves me.
Evening, morning and noon
I cry out in distress,
and he hears my voice.
He rescues me unharmed
from the battle waged against me,
even though many oppose me.
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.
My companion attacks his friends;
he violates his covenant.
His talk is smooth as butter,
yet war is in his heart;
his words are more soothing than oil,
yet they are drawn swords.
Cast your cares on the Lord
and he will sustain you;
he will never let
the righteous be shaken.
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.
I think we all have days where we would like nothing better than to fly away and be at rest. I think many times (especially lately) we find ourselves with troubled thoughts.
Whatever we are facing though, we can know that He is listening. We can trust Him with all of our hearts. I have shared this verse several times but it bears repeating:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6).This is my go-to verse. When my heart is troubled, when my mind is clouded with worries, I speak these words into my heart. I may not understand what is happening in the world around me. I may question why we find ourselves in the midst of a pandemic. But even with this lack of understanding, He is still God. When I delight in Him and submit to Him, He promises to not only comfort me, but lead me. And He promises not only lead me, but lead me towards a straight path.
This world feels all swirly right now. Everything feels jumbled up into a giant mess. So knowing that He will make my paths straight even in all this is very reassuring.
This passage is all about reaffirmation. After all, he will never let the righteous be shaken. In a world as shaky as ours right now, I need this message of hope. I think we all do.
I hope and pray that we take courage in this turbulent world because we have a powerful and faithful God. I hope that I take this reminder and let it rest in my soul - that He is trustworthy, that He will continue to lead me and make my paths straight even in a world that has turned upside down.
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