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b'While I was reading Psalm 55 the other day, I was reminded of sixth grade.\\nMost days, I did not want to go to school. I was a lot smaller that a lot\\nof my classmates, and the hallways were packed full. As I struggled up the\\nstairs in the current of backpacks, I often wished I could fly away. When I\\nread Psalm 55, I found out David felt the same way.\\nWhen David was having a really tough time and he felt overwhelmed, he said,\\n\\u201cOh, that I had wings like a dove; then I would fly away and rest! I would\\nfly far away to the quiet of the wilderness. How quickly I would escape\\u2014far\\nfrom this wild storm of hatred\\u201d (Psalm 55:6-8). But David couldn\\u2019t leave.\\nHe didn\\u2019t have wings. And neither did I.\\nWhen David couldn\\u2019t get away, when his heart was pounding in his chest, he\\nturned to God and cried out for help. David told God all about the\\nconflict, the threats, the cheating, and the violence going on all around\\nhim. Even David\\u2019s close friend\\u2014a friend he used to walk with on the way to\\nworship God\\u2014was now taunting and insulting him. David told God about all of\\nit, and God listened. He had compassion on David. And He didn\\u2019t leave David\\nto struggle alone. Even when David was in distress, he wrote, \\u201cBut I will\\ncall on God, and the Lord will rescue me\\u2026the Lord hears my voice. He\\nransoms me and keeps me safe\\u2026\\u201d (verses 16-18).\\nThroughout our lives, we find ourselves in places that feel negative, even\\nhostile. For me, school was one of those places. Teasing among peers and\\neven friends, suspicion between teachers and students, gossip, lockdown\\ndrills, fights in the hallways\\u2026 sometimes it all felt like too much. But\\neven in these places, God says that He is \\u201cour refuge and strength, always\\nready to help in times of trouble\\u201d (Psalm 46:1).\\nDuring my days at school, I prayed more prayers than I can count. And God\\nmet me in my distress. Slowly, gently, faithfully, He drew me closer to\\nHimself and revealed His great kindness. He gave me the courage to keep\\ngoing, and He provided safe places where I could find rest in the midst of\\nthe chaos and safe people I could talk to. I found what David said to be\\ntrue: \\u201cGive your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you\\u201d (Psalm\\n55:22). \\u2022 Hannah Howe\\n\\u2022 Have you ever felt like David did in Psalm 55? We all go through hard\\nthings, but if we\\u2019ve put our trust in Jesus, we can rest in the sure hope\\nthat nothing can separate us from God\\u2019s love (Romans 8:38-39).\\nOh, that I had wings like a dove\\u2026 Psalm 55:6 (NLT)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nPs.55'