Far from the Tempest

1 Listen to my prayer, O God,
do not ignore my plea;
2 hear me and answer me.
My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught
3 because of what my enemy is saying,
because of the threats of the wicked;
for they bring down suffering on me
and assail me in their anger.

4 My heart is in anguish within me;
the terrors of death have fallen on me.
5 Fear and trembling have beset me;
horror has overwhelmed me.
6 I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.
7 I would flee far away
and stay in the desert;
8 I would hurry to my place of shelter,
far from the tempest and storm.”

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20 My companion attacks his friends;
he violates his covenant.
21 His talk is smooth as butter,
yet war is in his heart;
his words are more soothing than oil,
yet they are drawn swords.

22 Cast your cares on the Lord
and he will sustain you;
he will never let
the righteous be shaken.
23 But you, God, will bring down the wicked
into the pit of decay;
the bloodthirsty and deceitful
will not live out half their days.

But as for me, I trust in you.

What turmoil the psalmist experienced here! Enemies watched him constantly, eager to threaten and accuse whenever they could. The worst part was that some of them were people he had trusted as friends.

Our inner storms can be intense when we are betrayed by someone close to us. In storms like that, we often cannot think straight. We question everything. Where can a solution be found?

The writer of this psalm wanted the same solution we would—to get away. How wonderful it would be to fly away like a bird when we are faced with betrayal. It would be such a relief to leave all our troubles behind, to unplug from all the challenges.

But that was not possible for the psalmist. Enemies dogged him again and again. The threats on his life continued.

Have you felt the sting of betrayal by someone who was close to you? Perhaps you are living in that kind of storm now.

At the end of the psalm, the writer provides the wisest response we can give in situations like this: “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you.” Whether we can fly away from our enemies or not, we can give our burdens over to the Lord, and we can trust in him to set things right.

Lord, please heal our minds and hearts. We give our burdens over to you. Forgive us our sins, and help us to forgive the people who have sinned against us. Amen.