In the 55th Psalm David is completely honest with the Lord. He says: "My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught" (2); "My heart is in anguish within me" (4); "Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me" (5). He calls on the Lord for protection, he asks the Lord to destroy his enemies. In verses 12-14 he acknowledges his feelings of betrayal and disappointment: "If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng at the house of God." Life changed.

Certainly many who read these words can relate to David's honesty, frustration, disappointment, and heartache. You've been hurt. You've been betrayed. You've been distressed, depressed, and oppressed. You've been attacked, harassed, and threatened. You understand his disappointment. You understand his anguish. You can empathize with his struggle.

Can you also relate to his faith?

If you finish the Psalm, you'll notice that although he is in turmoil he is composed enough to put his life in the hands of the Lord. "Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. But you, O God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of corruption; bloodthirsty and deceitful men will not live out half their days. But as for me, I trust in you."

After admitting his fear, acknowledging his disappointment, and expressing his concerns, he models the message for us that the best thing we can do in the midst of struggle is turn it all over to the One who can handle it. "He will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall." "He will bring down the wicked." That's God's job. That's what God does. He will do it in His time and in His way. He does not need our help. He does not need our advice. He does not need our schedule. David trusts God to do what He sees fit. He shares his honest preference for what He wants to happen, what he thinks should happen, and what he hopes will happen, but in the end he relinquishes it all to the One who can make things happen.

Then, he concludes with these words: "But as for me, I trust in you." There's the great wisdom of the Psalmist. It's as if he were saying, "If it were up to me, I'd do it this way. If I were in control, I'd wipe 'em out! If I had the power I would let them have it! But, it's not up to me, I'm not in control, and I don't have the power. You do. So, I trust in you."

This is the hard part for us. Can we do that? Will we say that? Will we relinquish the control? Will we let God be God and do what God will do? Or, will we demand our way, force our will, and seek our on justice?

It all comes down to that one word: trust. We can talk a lot, preach a lot, claim a lot about who we are, what we do, and how we live, but it all comes down to trust. When we are hurt, when we are betrayed, when we are confused, when we are criticized, and when we are judged, what will we do? Will I trust God?

David said, "But as for me, I trust in you."

Tom