When life is hard and we feel overwhelmed by a current situation or we are worried about our unknown future, or maybe we are greatly disappointed and offended by someone. At this point, we may feel afraid about stepping forward in life to seek a resolution for our present troubles, as our human nature shouts, “Run away! Get out of this mess!” But running away to push down or hide from our thoughts and feelings will never allow us to discover the true inner peace that Christ promised those that love Him – “the peace that passes understanding”.
King David’s life was full of long, hard battles with his circumstances and with people who struck out against him. He experienced pressures that constantly shouted to him, “I’m sick of this, fly away, wander away, pull away, and escape all these difficulties.” We know from history that at times David’s feelings of fear, hurt, or anger pushed and drove him to run away from God, instead of humbling himself and running to his Lord Yahweh for help. When David ran away, and attempted to escape his problems through the flesh by committing adultery, and then by using his power and control to manipulate the circumstances -he greatly suffered the consequences of his bad choices.
But from these consequences, David learned experientially that running away just create more problems in the long run, and was not the answer to his problems. As David honestly looked at his heart, a loving relationship with his forgiving and restoring God grew. He then remembered his Lord’s past faithfulness through many unpredictable times. Then he decided to again turn around, and run toward God, unraveling his feelings and finding safety and protection with His Lord. Through this process, David’s fear turned to faith that enabled him to have courage, be still, and wait for God to answer and deliver, while his heart abode in peace and praise. He would gradually find a place of safety and rest within his relationship with the heavenly Father.
Today you may find yourself in a predicament that you would like to hide from and just run away. You may feel as if you have no support, or no one who really understands what you are experiencing! But that is not true, because your God, who loves you more than you can fathom is close, and He cares about your heart and soul. Together the Lord and you can get through today, and face tomorrow. He will be your strength, courage, and hope! You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you! Like King David, we must continue to choose to run to God, not away, in the middle of our difficulties. He will be your support, and the one who loves to listen to your voice and hear your words. Then, like David, you will discover that God’ faithfulness and provision of a prevailing inner peace will see you through the challenges you face while living on planet earth. God is enough, so leave your cares and anxieties at the feet of the Lord, and measureless grace will strengthen you to keep stepping forward. He will watch over his lovers.
“And I say, oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. Yes, I would wander far away; I would lodge in the wilderness. Selah {pause, and calmly think of that]! I would hasten to escape and find a shelter from the stormy wind and tempest. Evening and morning and at noon will I utter my complaint and moan and sigh, and He will hear my voice. He has redeemed my life in peace from the battle that was against me” (Psalm 55:6-8, 17-18a).
