¹⁶As for me, I shall call upon God, and the Lord will save me … ²²Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken. ²³ … I will trust in You.

This classical lament psalm has encouraged believers everywhere. Life is not without its significant troubles, but through faith, we can trust God. Most of this psalm is filled with the writer’s complaint to God and cries for help. God is okay with our complaining to Him; that is what godly people do! He can handle it. To be sure, there are times when we need to “buck up,” as was the case with Elijah when he complained about being the only one who was zealous for the Lord and had not worshiped the false god Baal—God’s response was not to coddle him but rebuke him with the fact that 7,000 others in Israel had not bowed to Baal. It was like God saying to him, “Get over yourself, Elijah; you aren’t the only faithful one.”

However, the inclusion of Psalm 55 (as with all the lament psalms) in Scripture without any editorial rebuke from God indicates the Lord’s acceptance of his complaining. That is the very word David uses, “I am restless in my complaint and am surely distracted” (vs. 2). The underlying Hebrew word carries the sense of rehearsing or going over a matter in our minds. David is simply putting into words what he is thinking and feeling. The NLT version says, “I am overwhelmed by my troubles.” The NIV states, “My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught.” Other versions: “I am so upset and distressed, I am beside myself” (NET) and the NKJV includes “moan noisily.”

Who of us can’t relate to feeling as David describes at times in our lives, restless nights going over and over the troubles confronting us? We can’t stop thinking of what someone said to us, the mistakes we have made, the betrayal of a close friend and the list goes on. This is a psalm for all of us.

What differentiates a godly person’s complaint from an incessant complainer’s droning is that the former couches his complaint in the framework of faith. In contrast, the latter has no “exit” plan and no faith-based response to what he is experiencing. David begins by going to the Lord; with the honesty of his heart, he writes, “Give ear to my prayer, O God; and do not hide Yourself from my supplication” (vs. 1). He complains in God’s presence, and he complains to God; this is not godless and hopeless moaning; it is a trusting faith.

On that basis, David lays out his troubles to the Lord. Emotive words populate his prayer: enemy, pressure of the wicked, trouble, they bear a grudge against me, anguish, terror of death, fear and trembling and horror overwhelmed me (Ps. 55:3-5). Let that sink in; he was in desperate straits!

He expresses his wistful desire to fly away like a bird, to escape his problems (Ps. 55:6-8). Knowing that is not the solution, he asks God to intervene and bring havoc on his enemies (Ps. 55:9-11). However, the cause of his problems is not the outright enemy whose intention and hatred are clear, but someone who at one time was a close friend or associate:

“[A] man my equal, my companion and my familiar friend; we who had sweet fellowship together walked in the house of God in the throng.” (Ps. 55:13-14)

Nothing cuts deeper than the treacherous betrayal of someone close to us. The pain of this seems inescapable. We don’t know for sure who this was in David’s life, but one obvious candidate was his son Absalom. This usurper quietly and subtly won the nation’s loyalty away from his father David, defied and insulted him publicly and ran him out of Jerusalem. As David did with his predecessor King Saul, he refused to fight his son. We may surmise that this psalm reflects David’s pain.

David changes his tone when thinking about those who followed Absalom (if that is who it was) to those who followed him: “Let death come deceitfully upon them; let them go down alive to Sheol” (vs. 15). Historically, David did not want his son’s death, just those who supported him. He was grief-stricken when he received news that Absalom died (2 Sam. 18:33).

Amid such bitterness of soul, we begin to understand the deepness of his faith. He will continually call upon God (vs. 16) as long as the pain is there, “evening and morning” (vs. 17). It is here that we read some of the most encouraging and beloved words of Scripture, words that come up from the depths of disappointment, anguish, pain and suffering: “Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken” (Ps. 55:22). We are reminded of what our Lord Jesus promises to us about facing our trial and troubles:

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. (Matt. 11:28–30)

These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

Lord, I cannot carry my burdens alone but bring them to You. Thank You for the promises that I can trust. I am so glad You have already overcome the world. Help me when my faith is weak so that I might become an overcomer like You.