BETRAYED BY A FRIEND? - PSALM 55

PAIN IS REAL!

READ PSALM 55

Psalm 55:1-4

Give ear to my prayer, O God,

and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy!

2 Attend to me, and answer me;

I am restless in my complaint and I moan,

3 because of the noise of the enemy,

because of the oppression of the wicked.

For they drop trouble upon me,

and in anger they bear a grudge against me.

4 My heart is in anguish within me;

the terrors of death have fallen upon me. 

Have you ever had a friend betray you? Did you ever have to endure the hurtfulness of someone you trusted? Are you overwhelmed by the unexpected pain of a friend turned enemy?

David certainly knew this situation well. He had family and friends turn against him. His pain is certainly evident. The pain was real and the enemies were relentless. He feared for his own life!

Psalm 55:6-7

6 And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!

I would fly away and be at rest;

7 yes, I would wander far away;

I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah 

Are you, like David, looking for reprieve? The pain and the trouble was great; he wanted just to go away. Even the desert would have been an improvement!

As David asks God to come against them, his pain is multiplied by remembering the sweet friendship he used to have.

Psalm 55:13-14

13 But it is you, a man, my equal,

my companion, my familiar friend.

14 We used to take sweet counsel together;

within God's house we walked in the throng. 

How people can change: from a cherished friend to a surprisingly vicious enemy! But even though things are hard, David does not forget where to go for help.

Psalm 55:16

But I call to God,

and the Lord will save me. 

The psalmist does not lose sight of His God, and continues to trust in Him.

Psalm 55:22

Cast your burden on the Lord,

and he will sustain you;

he will never permit

the righteous to be moved. 

As I read this psalm, I realize that situations like this are very real. I know that estranged husbands and wives, parents and children, partners in business, fellow believers are living the reality of these verses. Pain is so real, sin is so hurtful, and life can be very hard. Yet in it all, God has eternal purposes for those involved.

During these situations we can run to God and trust in Him, or we can allow our anger and bitterness to drive us to sin. We cannot forget that many times we have betrayed God and gone back to Him for forgiveness. We know that He has shown immense grace to us, and that thought should both give us great joy and trust for the future.

Our eternal destiny is secure if we are God’s children and our temporary trials are in His hands. The Lord knows what we can bear. His sovereign hand is watching over us.

David desires God to make justice and relies on Him to do what is right; in the meanwhile, he trusts!

Psalm 55:23b

…But I will trust in you. 

My friend, trust in God! He is aware of your pain; the sun is behind the clouds! Don’t let the difficulty of your situation obscure your mental view of the beauty of God. He continues to be perfect. Trust His character, His wisdom, His power, and His love. God knows what He is doing; we must trust Him!