As For Me

May 5

Judges 6-7

Psalm 55:16-23

Proverbs 12:27-28

Luke 21:20-38

As For Me

“As for me, I shall call upon God, and Yahweh will save me…Cast your burden upon Yahweh and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.”  Psalm 55:16, 22 LSB

We are not told the exact events that led David to write this Psalm, but it is clear that he is struggling with the pain of the betrayal of a close friend.  This is a passionate prayer asking God for help and strength to deal with this painful heartache.  David had dealt with the difficulty and fear of being hunted down by Saul.  He was well acquainted with the horrors of war and being pursued by the enemy in battle.  But this pain was much worse.  He expected his enemies to try to harm him, but for a close friend to betray him was hurtful on a more personal level.  David did the only thing he knew to do.  He turned to God.  He poured out his heart calling on God to save him.  He cast his burdens on God and expected that God would sustain him through this difficult season in his life.  David knew that he could not carry this burden alone, so He trusted God to take care of him.  Even though the situation was beyond his control, he had confidence that God would hear his prayers and intervene on his behalf because nothing is beyond God’s control. 

Don’t we all need to hear these verses sometimes?  We need to be reminded to do the only thing we can do in those moments, turn to God.   When we are struggling with grief, sorrow, pain, or heartache, when we are weak and need strength, when we need wisdom, peace or hope, we need to turn to the only One who can help us.  David, divinely inspired by God, gives us an invitation to cast our burdens on Him.  The word “cast” is not implying gently laying our burdens before Him.  To cast something is to throw it, as in casting a fishing line or casting a net.  The idea is to throw something as far out as you can.  By casting our burdens on God, we are trusting that He will take care of it for us.  We are able to experience peace and joy in the midst of difficult circumstances because we have faith in God’s sovereignty and His love.  David assures us that God will never allow the righteous to be shaken.  When we trust in God, we will experience stability and security regardless of what is going on in our lives.  David resolved in his heart at a young age that whenever he faced difficulties, he was going to turn to God.  Instead of seeking help from worldly sources, from his own power and strength, from kings or rulers, or any other source, David chose to seek God and rely on Him.  In this passage, he proclaims, “As for me, I will call upon God.”  There are lots of places we can choose to turn when we face trouble.  Where will you choose to turn for help?