Psalm 55: Run Away

In verses 7 - 9, the psalmist writes of fleeing his troubles, of wishing he could take flight like a dove.  This expression of hope, of an escape from one's woes and travails, is lyrical and moving.  When troubles seem insurmountable, the desire to take flight, to run away, can be very appealing.
The words "running away" don't always have the most positive connotation.  They can suggest cowardice and avoidance.  Of an evasion of responsibility.  But under the right circumstances, running away can be prudent, wise, and, yes, even brave.  Think about running away from a bear.  Or a fire.  Or, all those things that tempt us to stray from God.

Then there's the question of where one is heading when one runs.  Is it into further trouble, deeper into the woods?  Or is it towards our rock and our salvation, to the God who sustains and nurtures us?

At some time, each of us will run away.  In these final days of Lent, we are invited by this psalm to consider what we're running from and to what or whom we are heading.

1  Hear my prayer, O God; *
do not hide yourself from my petition.
2  Listen to me and answer me; *
I have no peace, because of my cares.
3  I am shaken by the noise of the enemy *
and by the pressure of the wicked;
4  For they have cast an evil spell upon me *
and are set against me in fury.
5  My heart quakes within me, *
and the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
6  Fear and trembling have come over me, *
and horror overwhelms me.
7  And I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! *
I would fly away and be at rest.
8  I would flee to a far-off place *
and make my lodging in the wilderness.
9  I would hasten to escape *
from the stormy wind and tempest.”
10  Swallow them up, O Lord;
confound their speech; *
for I have seen violence and strife in the city.
11  Day and night the watchmen make their rounds upon its walls, *
but trouble and misery are in the midst of it.
12  There is corruption at its heart; *
its streets are never free of oppression and deceit.
13  For had it been an adversary who taunted me,
then I could have borne it; *
or had it been enemies who vaunted themselves against me,
then I could have hidden from them.
14  But it was you, my companion, *
my own familiar friend, dear to my own heart.
15  We took sweet counsel together, *
and walked with the throng in the house of God.
16  Let death come upon them suddenly;
let them go down alive into the grave; *
for wickedness is in their dwellings, in their very midst.
17  But I will call upon God, *
and the LORD will deliver me.
18  In the evening, in the morning, and at noonday,
I will complain and lament, *
and the LORD will hear my voice.
19  God will bring me safely back from the battle waged against me; *
for there are many who fight me.
20  God, who is enthroned of old, will hear me and bring them down; *
they never change; they do not fear God.
21  My companion stretched forth a hand against a comrade; *
and broke a covenant.
22  The speech of my companion is softer than butter, *
but with war at heart.
23  The words of my comrade are smoother than oil, *
but they are drawn swords.
24  Cast your burden upon the LORD,
who will sustain you; *
the LORD will never let the righteous stumble.
25  For you will bring the bloodthirsty and deceitful *
down to the pit of destruction, O God.
26  They shall not live out half their days, *
but I will put my trust in you.