“Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.”
Psalm 55:22

A young child shakes in fear as the thunder roars and the lightning flashes outside his window. He trembles as the rain pounds on the roof above his head. It is only when he runs to the safety of his mother’s arms that he is reassured that everything is going to be okay.

King David, the writer of Psalm 55, had many storms in his life. These storms were not natural storms of wind and rain. These were storms caused by sin that threatened King David’s very life. While thunderstorms roar outside the window or pound on the roof, these storms penetrated into King David’s own house. He was betrayed by his son Absalom and his advisor Ahithophel. King David’s words in Psalm 55 express his anguish over the betrayal he suffered by these two men. He cried out in the Psalm, “If an enemy were insulting me, I would endure it; if a foe were rising against me, I could hide. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, a close friend” (Psalm 55:12-13).

King David goes on in the Psalm to ask God to deter those who are plotting against him. He had no reason to expect anything but hardships such as betrayal in his life. King David himself had betrayed Uriah when he committed adultery with Uriah’s wife Bathsheba and then had him murdered in battle. He didn’t deserve God’s protection or help. And yet, King David proclaimed in faith, “As for me, I call to God, and the LORD saves me” (v. 16).

We are no better off than David. We lust; we betray the confidence of those close to us; and we commit many other grievous sins. We, like David, have no right to expect anything from God. However, we, like David, have a God “who does not change” (v. 19). His love for us never fades or changes. It was out of his great love that God sent his Son, who did not betray, lust, or commit any sins. Jesus’ perfection has become our own through faith in him; we are righteous in God’s sight because of Jesus’ righteousness. We can trust that God will sustain us in all hardships. “He will never let the righteous be shaken” (v. 22) no matter what storms of life may crash around us here on this earth. One day, he will welcome us with open arms to run into the shelter of his embrace.

Prayer: Dear Lord, please forgive me for the times I doubt your power to sustain me through all of the storms in my life, and help me to rest my confidence fully on you. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen

For Further Reading:
2 Samuel 15-17

Written by: Hannah Hackbarth
Reviewed by Professor Lyle Lange