When we are afraid, I mean really terrified that something bad is going to happen to us, one of our first tendencies is to run and hide. This is what David had to say when he was overwhelmed with fear in Psalm 55:4-7 (ESV),
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;
David isn’t talking about seeing a snake or a spider and suddenly freaking out. No, this is a fear that has settled into his heart. His emotions are not just startled, they are churning, and it gives the impression that this has been going on for some time. His fear has paralyzed him so that he sees no way out.
His desire is to run and hide. How many times does that thought cross our minds when things in life become difficult? Is this the response that leads some people to alcohol or other drugs to keep from facing the realities of life? Is it what leads some people to find solace in an extramarital affair because they just can’t face the problems in their marriage. It is also the concept of thinking that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.
Fortunately, David also tells us what he did rather than run and hide. In Psalm 55:16-17, he shows his trust in the Lord.
But I call to God,
and the Lord will save me.
Evening and morning and at noon
I utter my complaint and moan,
and he hears my voice.
When David calls upon the Lord in prayer, he doesn’t hold back. While he says he utters his complaint, there isn’t a hint that he is complaining about the Lord or that he is angry at God. His complaint should be understood in the same way as when we go to a doctor, and he asks us what is wrong. Then we provide our complaint, the symptoms of our problem.
This is really important because there are too many people who say that it is OK to be mad at God. They say that He is big enough to take it. If we understand the sovereignty of God, then being mad at God (because He is in control of our circumstances), is accusing God of doing wrong, of sinning.
Long before Peter told us to cast all our anxieties on God (1 Peter 5:7), David told us the same thing, a better way than running from our problems and hiding. In Psalm 55:22, he wrote,
Cast your burden on the Lord,
and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
the righteous to be moved.
Rather than running and hiding, we must run to the Lord in prayer. We must trust Him and believe that His plan for us is to sustain us through our difficulties. If we don’t believe that He works everything for our good (Rom 8:28) then our anxiety and terror that makes us run and hide is a matter of unbelief. That good that He is working in us is so that we won’t be moved by our circumstances. Our faith will be proved genuine by the circumstances (1 Peter 1:6-7).
If you don’t have a personal, saving, relationship with Jesus Christ, then you are not one of the righteous and you can’t rest upon any promise of being sustained through your difficulties. If you want to be one who can trust God in your circumstances, then Watch my video on the Gospel on YouTube or read on this Gospel link.
