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“Monique, have you planned any trips to the bay?”

My son-in-law’s grandfather owns a house in Bay St. Louis, and I often tag along with Monique and Frank.

“Nope, too busy.”

It was the answer I expected, but not the one I sought.

There’s something about sitting on sand and staring out at water that brings me instant peace and shifts my focus to the infinite greatness of God. During some of the most difficult times in my life, I’ve prayed, “Lord, just put me on an island somewhere away from all of this.”

I’m not the first to feel the desire to escape. King David penned Psalm 55 when he wanted relief from his problems. In verse 6 he wished, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.”

While David wasn’t granted wings to get away from his situations, he discovered something much better. He poured out his heart before God, then fortified himself in the knowledge of Who God is – David’s rescuer, the One Who heard his prayer, the One Who fought his battles, and the One Who rules forever.

After that, there’s no more talk of wanting a getaway, instead David chose a giveaway, and his words in verse 22 encourage us to do the same. “Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you.”

It wasn’t a getaway, but a giveaway that brought David peace and shifted his focus to the infinite greatness of God.

 

Ronny Michel can be reached at rmichel@rtconline.com.