WINGS LIKE A DOVE

By Angeline M Duran Santiago

Do you ever have one of those days, no, one of those weeks, where you just see everything that could pile up against you keep piling up? Have you ever found yourself unable to find an escape from being glued to circumstances that render you completely helpless and as much as you try, there's no way out or around it? I think, if we want to be honest, most of all have been there, and many of us are still there. The heat of angry words going back and forth, the voices raised together with an atmosphere that declares confusion, anger, and the question, "How did I get here?"

God is not absent when all hell breaks loose in our lives. He is ever present observing and waiting for the opportunity to enter in and stop the battle raging inside and around you. God stands quietly and patiently waiting for us to stop and realize we're handling it all the wrong way. But, in the anger of the moment, in the pain of what we are facing, it's so hard to stop and we allow our emotions to get the worst of us until we crash like a speeding car into the wall and end up immobilized, broken, beyond immediate repair or maybe even dead.

"My heart is in anguish within me;

the terrors of death have fallen on me.

Fear and trembling have beset me;

horror has overwhelmed me.

I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!

I would fly away and be at rest.

I would flee far away

and stay in the desert;

I would hurry to my place of shelter,

far from the tempest and storm.”

Psalm 55: 4-8

I think I understand what the Psalmist was writing about as he penned Psalm 55. I wasn't there and I don't know what he had encountered in his life. I don't know what was going on in his family, what problems were stirring within the walls of his palace with those that called him King or with those that knew him as Dad. I do know that things must have gotten so bad he wished for wings like a dove so that he could just go up into the top of his castle rooftop and fly away. He longed for wings to soar high above the place that was bringing pain, making him feel helpless and unwanted. He longed to be lost in the midst of the desert. He wanted to be alone, forgotten, far, far away and never come back.

King David wanted to run away, hide in a secret place to find refuge and be far away from whatever was tormenting him and causing him to fear. Oh, to fly away. I've wished that many times. To lift my wings and disappear into the farthest place in the world, away from the moment of anger and pain. I've longed for the desert as well. I've wished for a place of refuge and peace where I could be alone and not have to worry about the present or tomorrow.

As I read the end of this psalm, it seems God reveals to David one truth. "Get over yourself and get on with your life." We see how he realizes that when he cries out to God, God listens and shows up. And at the end of our strife, our misery and the hurts we go through, God is still God. He just wants us to take all our cares and trust Him with our lives. But, we become the tough one and try to fix it up all on our own. Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you. This is almost at the very end of the psalm. Maybe this King got tired of wanting to cover the sky with his hands. He realized he had to face all the issues surrounding him and he tells himself, "Hey, buddy, it's time to cast all this stuff I'm going through on the Lord because He's been there for me before and He will not let me down."

So, what do you think about wanting dove wings now? Still want to fly away. Honestly, you probably still do because what you're dealing with right now is not easy, but think about this. You can turn it all to the Lord and let Him take care of it all. Don't fly away to a deserted place where you face it all alone, Run to the heart of God where He will not only be with you but give you friends and family for the journey ahead.