Give ear to my prayer, O God,
and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy!
Attend to me, and answer me;
I am restless in my complaint and I moan,
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.
My heart is in anguish within me;
the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
Fear and trembling come upon me,
and horror overwhelms me.
And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest;
yes, I would wander far away;
I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah
I would hurry to find a shelter
from the raging wind and tempest.”
Comment: This is David in the pits of despair! Oppressed, restless, moaning, pleading, fearful, trembling, overwhelmed with horror, wrapped in the terrors of death he pleads with God to hear and be merciful. Speedily he would hurry far away – like a bird finding shelter in a distant tree or a traveller in a far country sheltering from a raging storm. He wants to be anywhere but here. I wonder how God will answer him.
Prayer: Teach me to turn to You first in my troubles and to cling onto Your promises.
As I read it! 