Give Anxiety Away (Psalm 55)

Give Away Your Anxiety
Psalm 55

INTRODUCTION:
The Rainy Day
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The day is cold, and dark, and dreary
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
The vine still clings to the mouldering wall,
But at every gust the dead leaves fall,
And the day is dark and dreary.

My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
My thoughts still cling to the mouldering Past,
But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast,
And the days are dark and dreary.

Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary.
My first response to Longfellow’s poem was: “Thank you for your optimism Mr. Longfellow!” I wonder if he was the inspiration for Walt Disney’s “Eeyore!”
But Longfellow is right. Some days must be dark and dreary. What do we do when we have those days? What do we do when we feel the weight of the world pressing down on our shoulders? When it feels like there is no place we can turn to ease the anxiety we feel in our hearts?
Do you know which biblical writer said, “casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you”? If you said the apostle Peter, you would be half right. If you identified the text as 1 Peter 5:7, you get a star. You get an extra star if you know that Peter was actually quoting from King David, from Psalm 55.
Which is where we’ll feed our spirits tonight… Psalm 55. How wonderful would it be if, when we are feeling anxious, we were able to reach into our hearts, grasp ahold of that anxiety, remove it, and throw it away? Better yet, give that anxiety to someone who could deal with the problem? That, in effect, is what Peter is telling us to do and it is what David is telling us to do in Psalm 55. Let’s study the text…
GIVE AWAY YOUR ANXIETY WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE COMPLAINING - 55:1-3:
Observe here that David feels anxiety because of his enemy, pressure from the wicked (ver. 3). They bring some kind of trouble down on him. They are angry at him. They hold a grudge against him. And he feels like complaining (ver. 2). These troubles, for David, have caused a distraction. He is not focused on God and on the good as he should.
Of course, what does David do? He begins this whole psalm by calling on God to listen to his prayers: verse 1. There are four commands David addresses to God in this first verse: Give ear; do not hide; give heed; and answer.
When you feel like complaining, give away your anxiety.
GIVE AWAY YOUR ANXIETY WHEN YOUR HEART IS ANGUISHED - 55:4-8:
Observe the emotions David feels in this paragraph. He mentions “anguish” in his heart, terrors of death (so he’s afraid of dying), fear and trembling and horror (ver. 5). In fact, he says that he is “overwhelmed” in horror!
What does David want to do? He wants to get away! He wishes in verse 6 that he were a dove and he would fly away. He would look for rest. He would wander away (ver. 7) and lodge in the wilderness, far away from the people causing him problems. Sometimes we can’t do that. If it is our job that causes our anxiety, or our family - maybe health issues with our parents or stresses with our children or conflict with our siblings.
Our heart is anguished; David wants to rush to his “place of refuge,” from the stormy wind and tempest of his life. Where is he going to find such refuge? Of course, it will be in the arms of His God.
We need to give away our anxiety when our heart is anguished.
GIVE AWAY YOUR ANXIETY WHEN YOU ARE TROUBLED BY SIN - 55:9-11:
I know many of us, perhaps most of us Christians, are very concerned about the direction of our country - mainly the moral direction of our country but the economic situation of our country is going downhill as well. Notice here what causes David’s anxiety…
Violence and strife in the city (ver. 9). Iniquity and mischief (ver. 10). People who are destructive as well as oppression and deceit (ver. 11).
David wants God to “divide their tongues” (ver. 9) because people who cannot communicate with each other cannot work their mischief in the world! Obviously we think of the Tower of Babel and how God brought their wickedness to an end by confusing their languages.
This trouble, this sin that is afflicting David’s kingdom, is all around him. It’s in the city (ver. 10), it is happening “day and night” (ver. 11), it is “in her midst,” and it is found in her streets.
When sin troubles you - whether your own sin or the sins of others - give away your anxiety.
GIVE AWAY YOUR ANXIETY WHEN YOUR FRIENDS BECOME “ENEMIES” - 55:12-15:
When I was in junior high school, my best friend was named Darren. But also when I was in junior high school, the person who aggravated me the most and disrespected my spirituality the most was also named Darren. They were the same people. When you expect friends to support you and then they don’t, it causes anxiety.
In one of my classes in college, my professor, Wendell Winkler, gave us a lecture on the personality types that are found in the local congregation. He told us the types of people we would meet and work with in a church family. He warned us - 35 years ago - that some Christians will become your buddy and be “best of friends” when you first move there - but sometimes they have an agenda. And when you don’t support their agenda, they drop your friendship like a hot potato. They either start giving you the cold shoulder or they antagonistically work against you. Christians - who are supposed to behave better than that - unfortunately, I have found brother Winkler’s warning to be accurate.
I had a conversation on the phone one time with a man who was a member of the church where I preached. I had heard some rumblings that he was not pleased with some things I had said, so I called him and offered for us to get together and talk face-to-face which is the best way to resolve differences. Especially over a meal. But he did not want to do that. Instead, over the phone, he brought up a half dozen complaints about things I had said or the way I had said them and he did not want to hear anything I wanted to say. It was one of the most demoralizing conversations I have ever had as a minister of the gospel. He did not allow me to explain my thoughts or to defend myself. He had made up his mind that he was no longer my fan. I had, at one time, wanted that man to be one of my elders because I had admired his spiritually. Until I saw a different side of him. If he had been an elder at the time I spoke to him on the phone, I would have resigned in the middle of that conversation and my office would have been cleaned out the next day. Rachel and I would not have gone back to the church. Would that have been an overreaction? Yes, it would and I am not given to over-reacting. But that’s how demoralized that supposedly godly man made me feel. And I had thought at one time he was one of my biggest supporters. Thankfully, I had and still have a letter written to me from another member of the church that I keep in my Bible which is encouraging to me and my work. It still encourages me and I don’t even have to read it! I just know it’s there.
Notice in verse 14 in our text that this enemy had “sweet fellowship” together with David and they even walked to worship together! But he turned out to want David’s destruction. David asks God in vers 15 to be just and fair with those enemies; “evil” is in their midst.
When your friends become your enemy, you’ve got to give away your anxiety.
GIVE AWAY YOUR ANXIETY IN PRAYER TO GOD - 55:16-21:
Certainly David has mentioned praying to God in verses 1-2. He brings it up again in verse 16 - “As for me…” He knows that God will save him. David’s trust is in the God who delivers. Notice in verse 17 that David mentions praying three times a day - just like Daniel does in 6:10 - evening, morning, and at noon. We don’t know if David is talking about praying at his meals, but that’s a good time to pray to God, just pray to help God get you through the next few hours. Sometimes that’s what we need to do to deal with our anxiety, just get through the next four hours. We don’t need to try to endure the challenges of life all at one time, just one hour at a time. David is confident - verse 17 - that God will hear his voice.
He is also confident that God will redeem his soul in peace (ver. 18) from that battle being waged against him. “Peace” - shalom in Hebrew - refers to inner tranquility. Speaking of Daniel, shalom is reflected in Shadrach, Meshach, and Abenego in their words of Daniel 3:17-18. David also states in verse 19 that God will hear David’s prayer and God will answer “them.” That is, David believes that God will execute vengeance or retribution against David’s enemies. One of the most impressive attributes of King David is his ability not to seek vengeance against his enemies but allow God to handle that. You recall that David had two opportunities to kill King Saul who was trying to kill David (1 Samuel 24 & 26), but David refused to lift his hand against the “Lord’s anointed.”
Those who do not change (ver. 19) are David’s enemies; they do not “fear” God. The enemy has put his hand against those who try to have peace with him (ver. 20). They are not loyal at all. They have violated the covenant. They talk nicely - their speech is smoother than butter - but in their heart, they are waging war against David and other righteous. Again, his words are “softer than oil” but in reality, their words are destructive - “they are drawn swords.”
To give away your anxiety, pray to God.
GIVE AWAY YOUR ANXIETY AS YOU TRUST GOD TO SUSTAIN YOU - 55:22-23:
David then - as he nearly always did - turns his attention to his people and speaks directly to them: “Give your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you.” Pray to God. God will never allow the righteous to be shaken. He has the ability to stabilize our faith and strengthen our hearts. If our faith is not stabilized or our hearts feel weak, it is because we are not spending time with God and His word.
Keep in mind in your anxiety, that God will bring down the wicked to the pit of destruction (ver. 23). God will not forget the bad things that people do towards others. God will not forget. God will hold it against those people and He will hold them accountable. “Men of bloodshed” and “men of deceit” will not live out half their days. Of course, that is an exaggeration. The wicked often live very long and fruitful lives. But if their lives are not right with God, they might die in peace but their eternal destination will be anything but peaceful.
Notice how David ends this psalm: “But I will trust in You.”
To give away your anxiety, ultimately you have to trust God to take care of you and do the right thing as He knows is best. He has the love to do the right thing and He has the power to do the right thing.
Take home message: Give your anxiety away, giving it to God, and trust that He will sustain you.