“And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest” (Psalm 55:6).
This wishful thinking comes at the end of David’s graphic description of bitter experiences through which he was going. David longed for release from “the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked” (v.3). People hated him (v.3). His heart ached, “and the terrors of death” were fallen upon him (v.4). He had fearfulness, trembling, and horror (v.5). No wonder he wanted to escape! Every one of us would long to be freed from such terrible circumstances. David yearned to fly away and be at rest. He goes on to say, “Lo, then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness. Selah. I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest” (vv.7,8).
The errors in the attitude of the escapist are evident: (1) We can’t run away from our problems; (2) We can’t find peace and rest in flying away because we take ourselves with us! (3) The Lord never intended that we spend our days in the wilderness apart from the souls of men. We are to be witnesses, not hermits. (4) Sometimes it is the Lord’s will to be in the storm. In Mark 4:35–41, the Lord was in the ship asleep when a great storm arose. The disciples roused Him saying, “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” Surely an incredible question! Of course the Lord cares! He knows the difficult circumstances we face. The problem with the disciples was that they forgot the Lord’s promise. “Let us pass over unto the other side” (v.35) He had said. They should have trusted Christ’s word. The Lord’s will was not to go to the middle of the sea and sink. To escape the storm would have meant the losing of the intended blessing of witnessing the Lord’s power over the hard experience. “Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved” (Psalm 55:22). NPS
