The Process of Letting Go and Letting God

Psalm 55:22 (ESV) Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.

Psalm 55 is one that many will resonate with. David has been backstabbed by his closest advisor during his own son Absalom's rebellion. In response to this mess, David does what he always does... he sings a song. 

The Psalm has 4 main sections that show the different approaches David takes with this painful situation. In the first section, he complains and groans to God, talking about all the harm that his enemy has done to him. That's a popular approach for many.

In the second section, David looks to escape:  “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; VERSES 6–7. He wants out. He's looking to leave it all behind. When we are hurt by those who should have been our friends, we want to just get away from everything sometimes.

In the third section, he asks for vengeance. This would be the anger stage of grief. He wants God to "divide their tongues" (verse 9), he wants them to die and go to hell (see verse 15). He's mad and wants justice done on his behalf.

Finally, he gets to the fourth section. It's not acceptance... it's prayerful confidence. "The Lord will save me" and "He hears my voice" (verse 16-17). Here is a man who has worked through the initial feelings and hurts and finally come to rest in the Lord who hears and sustains.

We have a choice when people turn against us. Anger, resentment (which is just a word that means to feel the pain over and over again) and escape... or we can turn to the Lord.

But I don't think the lesson of the Psalm is to skip right to the fourth section. We need to work it out, we need to talk it out and speak it forth. David wrote this stuff down. It's not good to bury it and act like things do not hurt when they clearly do. David is an example for us (albeit imperfect one like us) of how much the human heart needs to let things go.

Ultimately, we let go and let God. We cast our burden ON the Lord. He's going to carry us. And so sometimes the best thing we can do, the most spiritual response to trouble is to talk to our Father about all our frustration, feelings and anger... and let Him be our Rock.

Amen.