And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.
Psalm 55:6
David finds himself once again in a battle for his life. His own son, Absalom, rose against him to take his crown. Psalm 55 is a journey of how David emotionally handled this attempted take over. He cycled through four different stages through this Psalm.
David started with looking within himself and his feelings. He was trembling before God out of fear for his own life. Who could blame him?! His own son was out to destroy him! He is at this place of not coming to God in a calm way. David was like, “Hey God! You need to listen to my prayer! And don’t even think about hiding Yourself from me! I am scared. Death is knocking at my door!” David just let it all out. Poured it all out on the table. I can relate to David. There are times when I think I can even be a bit sarcastic with God. The demands of ministry can be overwhelming at times. There are moments when I step outside, look up at the mountain behind my house, and just pour out everything. “God! I can’t do what You are asking me to do! It seems impossible! How can you even ask this of me?”
And just like David, I progress to the next stage. David gets to the point where he is just wanting to escape or run away from everything! “If only I had wings like a dove! Then I could escape everything! I could hide from all of my troubles!” How many times do I do this myself? Things get challenging and I just want to escape the conflict or challenge that is in front of me! I love what Warren W. Wiersbe says about this passage:
Doves can fly long distances, and they seek for safe refuges in the high rocks. But we don’t need wings like a dove so we can fly away from the storm. We need wings like an eagle so we can fly above the storm.”
Warren W. Wiersbe
What do we know about eagles? The Hebrew culture looked at eagles as mighty warriors. They are known for their strength and courage in dangerous weather. During turbulent storms they soar above storm clouds where they can find safety. “You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession,” (Exodus 19:4,5).
David needed not to run to a shelter and hide; he needed to be like an eagle and soar above the situation so he could see that he had the strength and courage to evaluate the situation and to look up and trust God! And that my friends is exactly what David did! David is reminded in verse 22 of what he was supposed to do:
Cast your burden on the LORD [release it] and He will sustain and uphold you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken (slip, fall, fail).
Psalm 55:22 AMP
That is what David did. Now he sees with new eyes and humbly comes to the Lord with a boldness in his heart because he now remembers that God is for him! Despite the treachery that was done against David, he could now say: “But I will [boldly and unwaveringly] trust in You.” (Psalm 55:23b)
I think this cycle that David went through is a cycle that is common for so many of us. Let us not get discouraged by the giants that we are facing! Let us ask for wings like that of an eagle so we can rise above the giants and the storms of life that are in our midst. Then we can cast all of those burdens on the LORD and He will sustain us! In victory, we can raise our arms up in praise as we boldly and unwaveringly trust in God with every thing in our lives!
Let our new motto be: Oh, I have wings like an eagle! I will fly above the storms of life and look up and trust in God!
Let our new motto be: Oh, I have wings like an eagle! I will fly above the storms of life and look up and trust in God!
Sonya schweighardt
Life on Two Continents 