Day 985: Wings of a dove - Psalm 55 vs 1 - 8

1-2 Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy! Attend to me, and answer me; I am restless in my complaint and I moan, because of the noise of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked. 3 For they drop trouble upon me, and in anger they bear a grudge against me.

4-5 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. 6-8 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.” Psalm 55:1-8 English Standard Version

It's been my custom to take a break from the current books of the Bible I've been posting on, and do a few posts from a Psalm. In this case, Psalm 55, which the heading tells us was addressed “To the choirmaster, with stringed instruments “, and that it's “A Maskil of David.” The exact meaning of 'maskil' is uncertain. It may indicate a literary or musical style, a contemplative or instructional purpose, or a connection to stringed instruments. Like many of his Psalms, it was written when David was in great danger. (vs 4)

For readers in countries where Christians today face only mild opposition, and virtually no persecution, David's situation won’t be their experience. But for followers of Christ in some other countries in the world, hostility and threats of violence are very real. Like David, their fellow citizens will 'drop trouble' on them, and bear a grudge against them. (vs 3) What had this led to in David's life? (vs 1-2)

It had caused him to complain and to moan. Yes, wicked people and difficult circumstances can cause God fearing people to grumble and moan! We are human. It hurts us when 'life is not fair', or people attack and oppress us with scoffing or false accusations. But, notice, it also caused David to turn to God in prayer. He seeks God's mercy and help in his distress. That's surely what we must do too if ever we are faced with a situation where we are mocked or threatened because we follow Jesus Christ, and obey His truth rather than societies lies.

Now while persecution in, so called, 'Christian countries', might not be fierce at the moment, we mustn't think it can never happen. In David's case he says 'his heart was in anguish', 'fear and trembling' came upon him, and 'horror overwhelmed him!' This wasn't a case of just being bad-mouthed by someone, or being sidelined by society through shunning and censorship. His life was in actual danger. What was his, very understandable, response? (vs 6-8)

Oh, for the wings of a dove! How I wish I could fly away from all of this, and be at peace!

Have you ever felt like that? I suspect many Christians have had such a longing at some time in their life. Perhaps many times. And it probably wasn't because of a life threatening situation like David's. It may have just been weariness in the struggle with temptation and sin. It may have been sorrow from an unhappy childhood, a marriage that failed, struggling through life, a painful illness or handicap, or the aches, limitations and frustrations that old age brings. One sometimes hears a Christian saying 'I wish Jesus would come today'. Not necessarily because their faith is so great, but because they are so tired of life.

As we'll see in this Psalm, and similar ones David wrote, God didn't give him wings to fly away with! At the end of the Psalm we will come to words where he says: “Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved.” We would all love to flee from whatever burdens life has brought us – but David reminds us that God is able to keep us going. The apostle Peter echoed this when he wrote: “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6) The mighty hand of God is far better than the wings of a dove!