By Bunni Pounds

*This blog is part of our weekly, virtual Bible Study through the book of Psalms. For information on how to participate, please visit this page.

How many of us during these difficult days are having to fight off restlessness? 

We are hearing the voice of the enemy louder and seeing the oppression coming from the “wicked” – those who are in rebellion against God. It feels like it is never ending. 

It is difficult. It is not easy. David felt that restlessness and oppression and voiced it in Psalm 55. 

“I am restless in my complaint, and moan noisily,
Because of the voice of the enemy,
Because of the oppression of the wicked;

For they bring down trouble upon me,” (vs. 2b-3a) 

I was in Washington DC a few weeks ago for the March for Life and our team had to deal with stifling mandates coming down from the Mayor of DC. If we had made the choice not to take the “vaccine” then we couldn’t eat at a restaurant (even within the hotel that we were staying in). They asked us to take our food “to go” - back up to our rooms. The only way we could stay in the restaurant was to have a religious exemption letter and a negative COVID test within the last 24 hours. 

Regardless of our individual decisions as Americans to take the “vaccine” or not – people who love religious liberty and freedom of conscience don’t believe that people should have medical decisions forced on them by government bureaucrats.  

It didn’t matter during that trip that there were no COVID tests in DC to even get or that the restaurant staff didn’t have to be vaccinated to serve us – those inconsistencies and little problems didn’t matter to the Mayor of DC – this was her order that she wanted to force people into a decision that she wanted them to make.  

Whether it is outside pressures like I am describing here (whether you agree with me or not) or internal fears, anxiety, and pain that the enemy is hitting us with – I think we can all imagine how David felt in this contemplation when he said “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.” (verses 4-5)

He felt the “windy storm and the tempest” (verse 8) and he just wanted to “fly away and be at rest” (verse 6). I don’t know about you - but I can relate recently. 

The stress of dealing with problems from the outside world (wickedness gone crazy that hasn’t stopped since the beginning of 2020), dealing with friends and family members and the ways they are processing through it all, and having to examine my own fears and trust in God – I am tired. 

Can I just fly away and rest for a time? How about a good vacation? Can I hop on a plane to Florida and sit on a beach and let the world fade away? 

Then we see the greatest hurt in David’s heart. 

It was not from the enemies outside of his life – it was caused by his closest friend and companion who they had “took sweet counsel together”. This friend was causing him the most grief. They had walked together, loved each other, shared the Word with each other and walked to the “House of God” together. This person’s falling off the reservation has caused his soul deep pain and David is making it really clear to the Lord here in Psalm 55 that it was not pleasant. 

Then he sings out his solution to the Lord and to everyone listening to him. He is not just going to sit in this restlessness and pain. Here is the solution that he came up with….

“As for me, I will call upon God,
And the Lord shall save me.
Evening and morning and at noon
I will pray, and cry aloud,
And He shall hear my voice.” (verse 16-17)

When the world gets dark, the pressures of life get more intense, and relationships get strained – it is not a time to quit praying, it is time to amp it up. 

Evening, morning, and at noon – 3 times a day. David’s recipe for victory was increased prayer and calling on God. 

Morning. Noon. And Night. 

David testified of the goodness of God to deliver him even before he physically saw the victory. 

This last Sunday at Freedom Place Church in Rowlett – Pastor Kason Huddleston called that kind of prayer -  “PDP” – Pre-Deliverance Praise! 

King Jehoshaphat heard the Spirit of the Lord give him very clear instructions in 2 Chronicles 20 on how to overcome the LARGE enemy in front of him. 

Through the prophet of God – a Levite – he heard this, “You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.” (2 Chronicles 20:17)

Many of us in this moment when the enemy seems to be hitting our lives on every side – need to stand steadfast and still. We can’t fear. Know this – the Lord is with you. 

Then the King did something crazy – he led his troops forward against the enemy – through SINGING and PRAISE. 

“And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: Praise the Lord, For His mercy endures forever.” (2 Chronicles 20:21)

And guess what happened? It worked. God and only GOD came to their rescue. 

 “Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.” (2 Chronicles 20:22)

David went on to say in Psalm 55 BEFORE his victory- 

”He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me, For there were many against me.” (verse 18)

David hadn’t seen the victory with his natural eyes yet, but He knew it was coming. He kept in peace. 

This is not easy to keep our soul at peace when the storms of life are raging, but if we quiet our souls, learn to look at God’s promises, and rejoice always – we will see the victory. It will come. 

The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 4:4-5 – “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.”

As we rejoice – God moves. He is at hand. He’s got this! 

Psalm 37:9 – “For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, They shall inherit the earth.”

When we are patient and we wait on the Lord for the victory, we will see the salvation of God. 

“Cast your burden on the Lord,
And He shall sustain you;
He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” (verse 22)

Do you want to be unmovable today? 

Do you want to rejoice even during the storms? 

Know this – God will never permit the righteous to be moved. 

What a promise. I will cling to that one today – how about you?  

We are unmovable when He is with us.

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