Psalm Chapter 55 - To the chief Musician on Neginoth, Maschil, A Psalm of David

Psalm 55: The Friend Who Became a Stranger

Most psalms about enemies are about enemies — foreign armies, wicked rulers, faceless oppressors. This one is about a friend. "It was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company." There it is: the wound that does not come from a sword but from a supper table. David knows what it is to be hunted by Saul, but this betrayal cuts deeper, because it comes from someone who knew the sound of his prayers. The psalm gives us one of the most human cries in all of Scripture — "Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest." Who has not wanted exactly that? To simply leave, to be done with the whole complicated mess of trusting people who can hurt you. But the dove never comes. Instead, something better arrives: "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee." Not remove the burden — sustain you under it. Evening, morning, and noon, David prays, and the God who hears does not give him wings but something sturdier — ground to stand on.

00:00 Give Ear to My Prayer
00:20 The Terrors of Death
00:40 Wings Like a Dove
01:00 Violence and Strife in the City
01:20 The Betrayal of a Friend
01:40 Sweet Counsel Together
02:00 Evening, Morning, and Noon
02:30 Cast Thy Burden Upon the Lord
03:00 I Will Trust in Thee