Psalm 55 was written by someone who discovered a betrayal by a best friend (“a man after my own heart”).  The bitter anguish of that revelation is more than the psalmist can bear.  In crying out to God, the psalmist says:

“Oh that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.”  (Psalm 55:6)

I know that feeling.  It doesn’t stem from the betrayal of a friend (thank God), but I know how it feels to be overwhelmed.  I know the urge to flee – to fly away.  The urge to escape makes perfect sense to me. 

When I hear that someone has fallen into alcohol abuse or addiction to drugs, I wonder what they are fleeing.  When people disappear from marriages and jobs, from friends and affiliations, I ask myself if they are seeking a place of rest away from some unknown tempest.  When the retreat is into depression, I wonder what reality is too hard to bear.

There’s a time for telling ourselves and others to stand fast, to resist the urge to run away, to be courageous in the power of our faith. 

And there’s a time to say, “I know this is too much to bear, that you want to run away, that you wish you had wings like a dove so you could fly away.  But when you flee, remember to flee into the arms of God where there is rest and safety and peace in the midst of the storm.”

Prayer:When I am afraid and weary; when I’m overwhelmed and I just want to escape, help me, O God, to run to you.  Amen.