The Bible Says
Psalm 55:22-23 Meaning

Within Psalm 55:22-23, we encounter David’s invitation to trust God with the weight of our struggles when he proclaims, Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken (v. 22). Though Psalm 55 grew out of David’s personal anguish - David reigned as king of Israel around 1010-970 BC, ruling from Jerusalem - this call to cast burdens onto the Lord extends to all who seek refuge in Him. David, having experienced betrayal and emotional turmoil, urges us to place our cares entirely upon God’s shoulders, acknowledging the Lord’s power to uphold the faithful.

David’s use of the term burden illuminates the heavy load that life’s troubles can become. He underscores that there is no concern too large or small to bring before God. In related passages, Scripture assures us that genuine peace arises from trusting in the Lord (Philippians 4:6-7). When the psalm declares that God will sustain His people, it paints a picture of divine faithfulness that spans from ancient Israel to believers today: God’s support is continuous and unshakeable.

The final phrase, He will never allow the righteous to be shaken, does not imply a life free from hardship, but it underscores that God preserves His own through adversity. This confidence points forward to Jesus’s assurance that those who come to Him find rest for their souls (Matthew 11:28). Such rest does not remove setbacks but invites followers of the Lord to rely upon His sustaining strength, knowing that He is both able and willing to carry them through.

Transitioning into the next statement, David shifts focus to the fate of those who oppose God when he declares, But You, O God, will bring them down to the pit of destruction; Men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days. But I will trust in You (v. 23). Here, we see the psalmist’s conviction that God’s daunting justice will ultimately confront those who perpetuate violence and deception. The pit of destruction helps one envision a place where evildoers face divine judgment for their wrongdoing.

These words reveal the foundational principle that God’s justice balances His sustaining love. While the righteous are upheld, those who embrace bloodshed and deceit bring consequences upon themselves. For David, this is not merely a poetic statement; it’s a reflection rooted in personal experience and a desire that God will bring true holiness to the world. We see a similar theme throughout Scripture, where in due time evildoers are held accountable for their actions (Galatians 6:7).

Yet David’s trust in God is unshaken by the threat of evil people. By concluding with But I will trust in You, he testifies that the believer’s ultimate confidence rests securely in the Lord’s eternal covenant love. This reliance is echoed throughout the Bible’s storyline, culminating in the gospel message that Jesus has borne our sins and redeemed us for a life of steadfast hope.