I would flee far away and stay in the desert; I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm. (Psalm 55:7-8, NIV)
Have you ever had one of those days on the golf course when the only thing you wanted was for the round to be over and to get off the course? It was probably a day when your A-game was lost in outer space and the only thing that could make one of your putts fall in would involve an earthquake or a tornado. We all just want to run away when we are disappointed with our self and our game.
King David, who wrote the words of our text, clearly was having one of those days. He just wanted to run away and stay far from the trouble. He wanted to run to his shelter and get away from the enemy. His enemies surrounded him and his thoughts troubled him. Aren’t we plagued with the same types of things?
Golf is a pleasant diversion for most of us and we can run off the course and get away from our disappointment, resolving to practice more and make our next round better. Life is not so simple. We have real enemies and real issues. Those enemies may cause concern for our safety and security; those issues bring thoughts that trouble us. Thoughts like, Will I get a good report from the doctor or will it be a devastating diagnosis? Thoughts like, Will my meeting with the boss mean I’m getting a raise or will I lose my job? Thoughts like, Where will I go when I die? Thoughts like, If there is a God, what does he want from me? Such thoughts make us want to run to shelter and flee far away. We all long for escape and hope for a better day.
That is precisely what God promises us if we trust in him. He knows we are troubled and afraid. We are sinful and ashamed of what we have done. We know even our A-game won’t be enough to get us out of the mess we have made. God wants us to run to him, not away to the desert of despair. He loves us with a love that covers all that we fear and all that we have done. He calls us to cast our cares on him. He promises that if we trust him, he will not let us fall.
God promises to sustain our life. He bears our burdens and is our peace. He is trustworthy and fully capable of handling everything we can pile onto him. It pleases him to help us in our weakness. His power is magnified when we admit that our own ability is not enough. He is sovereign over all—nothing is too hard for him. We don’t always see how things could possibly work out, but if we trust him we can count on the fact that his purposes will be accomplished; and we will find that he is able to help us in our time of need. He is the answer to those enemies who surround us and to the thoughts that trouble us. Cast them all on him.
—
Linda Ballard
March 5, 2015
Copyright 2015 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.