In the Midst of the Tempest!

Psalm 55:6-8-And horror has overwhelmed me. So I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. Indeed, I would wander far off and remain in the wilderness. Selah! I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest.” NKJV

It’s difficult to believe that God is working on our behalf during those tough times in life. When we get the doctor’s report that says we have a disease that is untreatable or life-threatening, it’s a shock to our system. Or when the bills are coming in faster than the money, and making ends meet seems to be a pipe dream, it can be a little much. That’s when our key text becomes a reality in our lives, and we can identify with the psalmist:

My heart is severely pained within me, and the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fearfulness and trembling have come upon me, and horror has overwhelmed me.

Psalm 55:4 NKJV

The psalmist described his pain as a twirling or dancing of his emotions, spinning or writhing in pain. Things were out of control, and fear of death troubled his soul. He went on to say that he was full of fear, and trembling overtook him! He experienced horrors so great the darkness of his situation was like garments that clothed him. He was going through!

David was a warrior! He stood up against Goliath and slew him in the name of the Lord! He wasn’t a weakling or one who ran from trouble! He killed a lion and a bear who tried to take his sheep! But on this day, at this time in his life, he was struggling with a constant barrage of trouble that was coming at him! He was so sick and tired of it all that he said:

“Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. Indeed, I would wander far off, and remain in the wilderness.

Psalm 55:6-7 NKJV

Did you get that? David wanted out of his situation! He said that he wished he had wings so that he could fly away like a dove! Or maybe, he would just wander in the wilderness away from everybody and stay there for a while! This is not a psalm that points us to a particular time in David’s life. We don’t know when this happened, but we do know how he felt!

Can you relate to this? I know that I have had a few times in my life when I felt like I just wanted to go somewhere, anywhere, where I could get away from it all! Guess what? This is so normal, it’s not even funny! Everybody has troubles, and as long as we are living, we are going to have some more troubles! Quitting, giving up, and walking away from a tough situation have been the modus operandi of too many believers! But God has not called us to quit in the middle of the storm!

I know it’s tough to stay strong in the midst of the tempest! David said,

I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest.”

Psalm 55:8 NKJV

Had you talked with David at the time, you would’ve been shocked to hear him say all of this! He said he’d get away from his storm as quickly as he could because he had had enough of his troubles! But again, this was not unusual during David’s life, and it’s not unusual in our lives. All of us have times when we are strong and other times when our troubles have sucked the life out of us!

Unfortunately, too many people find all kinds of ways to avoid dealing with the storm. Unhealthy ways! They use drugs, drown their sorrows in alcohol, resort to sexual indiscretions, or even leave their families! But none of that is the answer! Or shall I say it is certainly not God’s answer!

There’s a huge difference between wanting to fly away from your troubles, and actually flying away from them! As I said, it is unclear as to when David felt like this, but I remember his time at Ziklag!

So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep. And David’s two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had been taken captive. Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. 

1 Samuel 30:3-6 NKJV

I’m sure David wanted to escape this situation. His city had been burned to the ground, and his wives had been taken captive along with the other women and children. And if that wasn’t bad enough, his men wanted to stone him to death, because they blamed him for their losses! (Did David send a messenger to the Amalekites, letting them know it was a good time to invade Ziklag? I don’t think so!) This was a terrible day in the life of David, just as it was in the lives of his men! So yes, he may have felt like throwing in towel, or wishing he had wings like a dove to fly away, or even wandering in the wilderness where he could be alone with no return on his mind, but he didn’t act on his feelings! The Bible tells us that David encouraged himself in the Lord!

When we face our greatest trials, we feel like we want to walk away from it all! I know it’s the truth because I have seen it happen more times than I care to admit! Go ahead and reflect over the years, because you have seen it, or done it! My brother-in-law used to say:

You’re either in a storm, just coming out of a storm, or you getting ready to go through a storm!

Pastor Eric Susberry, Victory in Christ Kingdom Church, Senior Pastor

I used to cringe when he said these words because I didn’t want to be reminded that even though things were going okay today, a storm was on the way! Some circumstances are like a tsunami when they arrive, and you can’t outrun it, so it overruns you! That’s okay! Instead of fainting or giving in to weakness, fear, despondency, disappointment, and tribulations, you are going to have to find some strength in the midst of your storm.

We have a plethora of resources at our fingertips! We have our written bibles, online bibles, online sermons, blogs, and podcasts. But most importantly, we have the ability to go to church and hear the preached word of God! God has this amazing ability to have his ministers share truths from the word that will meet us right where we are. I know what you are thinking! I can listen online! True! But will you have someone available to wrap their arms around you and love on you and tell you that God is faithful? That’s the kind of stuff that happens in church! Not online!

It’s in the midst of the storm that we need to search for the peace of God. It’s in the midst of the storm that we need to hold fast to what we believe about God! It’s in the midst of the storm that we need to understand that no weapon formed against us shall prosper! And it’s in the midst of the storm that we need to understand that God is faithful! He will never leave us, nor will He forsake us! Don’t lose heart in the midst of the storm! Trust that God will speak to your storm and bring you out of it with a great deliverance! Be encouraged today! Wonderful Jesus!