488_Cast your burden on the Lord

Psalm 55:1-8 Give ear to my prayer, O God,
and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy!
2 Attend to me, and answer me;
I am restless in my complaint and I moan,
3 because of the noise of the enemy,
because of the oppression of the wicked.
For they drop trouble upon me,
and in anger they bear a grudge against me.

4 My heart is in anguish within me;
the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
5 Fear and trembling come upon me,
and horror overwhelms me.
6 And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest;
7 yes, I would wander far away;
I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah
8 I would hurry to find a shelter
from the raging wind and tempest.”

16-23 But I call to God,
and the Lord will save me.
17 Evening and morning and at noon
I utter my complaint and moan,
and he hears my voice.
18 He redeems my soul in safety
from the battle that I wage,
for many are arrayed against me.
19 God will give ear and humble them,
he who is enthroned from of old, Selah
because they do not change
and do not fear God.

20 My companion stretched out his hand against his friends;
he violated his covenant.
21 His speech was smooth as butter,
yet war was in his heart;
his words were softer than oil,
yet they were drawn swords.

22 Cast your burden on the Lord,
and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
the righteous to be moved.

23 But you, O God, will cast them down
into the pit of destruction;
men of blood and treachery
shall not live out half their days.
But I will trust in you.

A well-known pastor had mentored a young man in ministry for several years. He had poured his teaching and his thoughts on life into him, trusted him, opened up his heart and his home. They prayed together, served side by side, and talked about their dreams of what God might do through their lives. Then one day that young man left to begin his own church, pulling in several people whom his mentor was pastoring. It became obvious over the next few days that he had been busy sowing seeds of doubt, division, and mistrust. The betrayal was all the more painful because of the trust that it exploited.

The wounds inflicted by betrayal aren’t superficial. They cut deeper than adverse circumstances could, biting into the very heart. David knew that pain too, and it is reflected in Psalm 55.

This psalm arose from a time of intense turmoil in David’s life—probably Absalom’s rebellion. His own son had sown dissatisfaction and rebellion against him, finally proclaiming himself the king and pursuing his kingly father’s death. Just as hurtful was the fact that Ahithophel, one of his closest and most trusted counselors, joined the conspiracy. Scripture tells us he was Bathsheba’s grandfather, and the unresolved bitterness from David’s sin against Bathsheba and Uriah may have played a part in Ahithophel’s betrayal. Yet evil is no excuse for more evil.

The psalm opens with an anguished prayer:
“Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy!” (v.1)

This desperate cry reveals the pressure he is under—emotional, spiritual, and political. Unrelenting hatred motivates this rebellion, not just the lust for power. Danger lurks at every corner. Violence and suspicion rule the city.

The weight of betrayal is heavier than the threat of war. Listen to verses 12-14:

“For it is not an enemy who taunts me—then I could bear it; it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me—then I could hide from him. But it is you, a man, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend. We used to take sweet counsel together; within God’s house we walked in the throng.”

We can hear David replaying beautiful old memories in his mind—moments of companionship, counsel, friendship, prayer. This wasn’t just politics. This was personal. It’s the betrayal of friends, not the opposition of enemies, that breaks us the most.

In verse 6, David says:

“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.” This is all too familiar to most of us. The urge to escape, to disappear, to find a quiet refuge from the storms of life.

Yet David always has an anchor, even in the heaviest grief, the stormiest sea. Verse 16 reveals it: “But I call to God, and the Lord will save me. Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice.”

David does not pretend the pain isn’t real. No shallow positivity, but honest complaint and prayer, relieves the pent-up soul. He pours it out before God constantly, calling for help—morning, noon, and night. He groans, he complains, he prays. And God listens. He doesn’t despise or abhor our weakness, our disordered emotions, our broken hearts. Rather, he welcomes us in our beggared moments and listens to us. And when he listens, he acts. That is our strength and our wealth.

And therefore David says, verse 22:

“Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.” This isn’t wishful thinking. It’s the voice of experience. “He will sustain you.” Not might sustain you. No hint of uncertainty. For he is the eternal Amen, the one who promises and the one who is able to fulfil it, and the one who always, unfailingly, keeps his word.

And when we cast our burden on him, we find him sustaining us. We need not carry it, nor hide it, nor suppress it. We are not throwing our burden into the void. All we need to do is lay it in his gentle but mighty hands. And he will handle it for us. As Peter said, centuries later, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7)

And so David ends in confident faith. He says,
“But you, O God, will cast them down into the pit of destruction… But I will trust in you.” (v.23)

“I will trust in you.” Whatever happens, though men turn their back on me, though they are backstabbers, it doesn’t matter any more. For I have chosen to always trust in you. Even when everything is uncertain. I will trust in you.

Whenever we find ourselves in the middle of our own Psalm 55, betrayed, hearts heavy with anguish and anxiety, let us remember this psalm. Maybe we have said with David, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!” But even when there is no escape, we can find rest when we cast our burden on the Lord.

Let us start by being honest with God. Let us be present before him all the time, in everything. Let us speak to him, pour out everything, morning, noon, and night.

But let us also be mindful of God’s character. He hears. He sustains. He is unchanging, and he is Almighty and Ruler of the universe. Let us choose to trust his deliverance, even when nothing makes sense. We trust him because he is God, the Ancient of Days, and he is righteous and he is good.

Casting our burdens on him is not a single act but more of a daily surrender. A moment-by-moment release. A habit of taking your pain and placing it in God’s capable hands. And each time, our souls find some more strength, a little more peace, deeper rest.

Whatever our burden may be—betrayal, anxiety, disappointment, confusion—let us not carry it alone. Let us cast it on the Lord. He will sustain us. And He will never let us be moved. God bless.