Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Running away (Psalm 55)

I did not realised that Psalm 55 reflects my feelings when I feel like running away. (Escapism!)
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; (Psalm 55:6-7)
When I've grumbled and exclaimed that I wish I can just throw down everything, pack and leave. In fact, I've always have this image in my mind to calm myself: imagining I'm finally a butterfly emerging for the cocoon... to fly away free from the confines of the "cocoon" of life.

Psalm 55 actually speaks of the betrayal King David experienced from his counsel/close companion Ahithophel. He speaks of how he can endure enemies but the bitterness felt from the betrayal of a close, trusted friend is heart breaking.

If an enemy were insulting me, 
I could endure it;
if a foe were raising himself against me, 
I could hide from him. (Psalm 55:12) 

However, what caught my attention was this verse:
His speech is smooth as butter, 
yet war is in his heart; 
words are more soothing than oil, 
yet they are drawn swords (Psalm 55:21)

Imagine that - betrayal is clearly illustrated in verse 21. How precise is the description!

In life, when everything comes tumbling down, we feel pressed down, remember even King David shout out to God for respite. He may have fought battles with enemies but he got betrayed too and felt hurt.

How does this apply to me?
Many times we turned to our fellow friends for solace and comfort. Then we get easily hurt and we forgot they themselves are human (tendency to sin). We should seek God in times of need and in good times too, by glorifying His name.

How does this encourage me?
I feel assured that whatever happens to me in life - it's normal. Kings, paupers, peers and basically people will experience ups and downs, one way or another. Whatever obstacles life presents itself, I must always remember there is a way out of it. God makes a way which we only need to take and then life would not seem so stifling that I would always wish to fly away.

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