“Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked … my heart is severely pained within me … fearfulness and trembling have come upon me …So I said, ‘Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest’” (Psalm 55:3-6). David speaks here of a satanic attack so severe that it drained his strength and patience and caused him to want to run. He moaned, “There is pain in my soul, a pressure that never lets up. It’s a battle that never ends and it terrifies me. Lord, don’t hide from me anymore, Please, listen to my complaint and make a way of escape for me.”
What was the cause of David’s awful battle? It was a voice: “Because of the voice of the enemy” (55:3). In Hebrew, the meaning here is “the voice of a man.” It was Satan speaking, along with his demonic oppressors.
What did David do about this? He cried out to the Lord for help, asking him to silence the enemy’s accusations: “Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues” (55:9). “All day they twist my words; all their thoughts are against me for evil … They hide … they lie in wait for my life” (56:5-6).
David’s testimony makes it clear for all of us: this is war. We are facing evil powers in a fight for our faith against the father of lies. And the only way we can do battle is to cry out to the Lord for help.
Like other holy servants of God, David came through his battle and was used mightily as never before. Beloved, the same joy awaits us just beyond our eclipse of faith. Yet it is when we are at our lowest — at the deepest point of our unbelief — that God is doing his deepest work in us, preparing us to glorify him.
Have you been sifted recently, your faith seeming to fail in a dark hour? I urge you to do three things: (1) Rest in God’s love for you. (2) Know that no matter how deep your unbelieving thoughts, the Lord sees what you are going through and his love for you never wavers. (3) And do as David did and cry to the Lord night and day: “Lord God of my salvation, in the morning my prayer comes to you. Incline your ear to my cry.”