Do you ever wish that you could escape from all your troubles?
In Psalm 55, David expressed his wish for the wings of a dove so that he could fly away (v.6-7). On that occasion,
the terrors of death possessed David’s fearful, trembling heart (vs. 4-5). In anguish of soul, he wrestled with betrayal by a close friend who had previously worshiped the Lord with him (vs. 12-14).
How should we approach this desire for escape? How can we keep our troubled thoughts from leading to “escapism?” What should we do when we feel as if we just want to “fly away” like a dove? David wrote:
As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me.
Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud:
and He shall hear my voice. (Psalm 55:16-17)
“As for me”
This was David’s approach – his personal response. Others chose different paths. David wrote, “as for me.” His good friend had betrayed him in the pursuit of some perverse goal. The city was in an uproar, filled with violence and strife. But David resolved to make the commitment: “As for me.”
This is the right way to escape from the conforming pressures of this world. You must make the commitment, “as for me.” Carefully consider your path. Make a wise choice. This may not be the way that others will approach life’s struggles, but you have the privilege of choosing your own response.
Be careful! The world and the flesh are pulling together against you. You could easily say, “as for me” to pull away from the world but rush right into the seduction of your own fleshly heart. Your “as for me” commitment must be focused on the Lord, or your heart will also betray you.
“I will call upon God”
When you feel as if you need to escape, here is the greatest escape: “I will call upon God!” It’s the right path for you.
In the day you are betrayed or you are waylaid by the world’s dark parade, you must pray: “I will call upon God.”
Others cannot or will not call upon the Lord. You can. You must. Urge your fellow believers to use “the greatest escape:” pouring out their hearts to the Lord.
Guide your fainting heart to be faithful: “As for me, I will call upon God.”
“And the Lord shall save me”
This is the power of prevailing prayer. The Lord will save you. He will deliver you from unworthy friends and the world’s wicked ends. When he called upon God, the Lord saved him! The greatest escape is to God. This is the escape that enables you to live in reality, instead of your foolish fantasy. Take hold of the Lord’s promise “the Lord shall save me” and make the personal commitment, “As for me, I will call upon God.”
“Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and He shall hear my voice.”
If you are a stranger and pilgrim in this world, why not make “the greatest escape” your path to spiritual success? If this prayerful escape gives you strength for the day, why not make your escape daily? In fact, why not pray throughout the day?
“Evening and morning and at noon, will I pray and cry aloud: and He shall hear my voice.” The Lord who will save me is the Lord who hears my voice. Let today be a day when you pray. When you have prayed, you can face the world’s charade and the friends who have betrayed you. Let’s make this “a season of prevailing prayer” by crying out to the Lord throughout the day.
—Gordon Dickson