hear me and answer me. My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught
at the voice of the enemy, at the stares of the wicked; for they bring down suffering upon me and revile me in their anger.


Psalm 55:2-8, 22-23

2
hear me and answer me. My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught
3
at the voice of the enemy, at the stares of the wicked; for they bring down suffering upon me and revile me in their anger.
4
My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death assail 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; Selah
8
I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm."

22
Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.
23

But you, O God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of corruption; bloodthirsty and deceitful men will not liv Today’s title is “ Fly Away?”



Life is tough at times. You work hard. But nothing gets done. You never meant any harm to anybody. But everybody is hostile to you. They try to get you eagerly. Fear and anguish have a strong grip on you. Your souls are restless day and night. Have you ever felt like this? I am sure you did. In fact, we all do. Yes, if we had the wings, we would fly away. And that’s not a bad idea at all. When you can’t overpower the countless enemies and are in danger of being swallowed, what else can you do? But the question is where do you fly away to and how? This is crucial. I heard the real test of good military leaders in the battle is how they retreat when they have to rather than how they advance in the attack. It makes sense. If you succeed in the attack, you may gain some territory. But if you fail in retreat, you may lose countless lives. So you have to be really prudent when you fly away. A lot of people, facing the trouble and anguish, turn to momentary escape such as drugs or alcohol. Obviously the drug and alcohol are not your friends. They will never be. There are many other ways of escapism as such. With such escapism, we will never overcome the enemies. A wise man will retreat not to be trapped there, but to advance against the enemies with renewed strength later on. So where should you retreat? Today’s psalm shows the answer. Fly away to God. Take refuge in Him. Cast out all your cares upon Him, for He will sustain you. He will never let you fall. In fact, a lot of great people of God went through such anguish and frustration. Elijah was a great hero for God’s kingdom. But at one time, he felt totally defeated. He was exhausted. He flew away! He flew away to a Rohthem tree which turned out to be the shelter of God. God refreshed and renewed his strength. He gave Elijah a new and greater mission. God does the same for all his faithful servants then and now. So are you in trouble and fear? Are you distraught and frustrated? Do you want to fly away from all of these? Make sure that you fly away to the right place where you can truly be refreshed and renewed your strength. God is the eternal refuge and shelter for you. Amen.