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Weds 13th May - Psalm 57

Psalm 57

Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me,
    for in you I take refuge.
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings
    until the disaster has passed.

I cry out to God Most High,
    to God, who vindicates me.
He sends from heaven and saves me,
    rebuking those who hotly pursue me –
    God sends forth his love and his faithfulness.

I am in the midst of lions;
    I am forced to dwell among ravenous beasts –
men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
    whose tongues are sharp swords.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
    let your glory be over all the earth.

They spread a net for my feet –
    I was bowed down in distress.
They dug a pit in my path –
    but they have fallen into it themselves.

My heart, O God, is steadfast,
    my heart is steadfast;
    I will sing and make music.
Awake, my soul!
    Awake, harp and lyre!
    I will awaken the dawn.

I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
    I will sing of you among the peoples.
10 For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
    your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
    let your glory be over all the earth.

- - -

This Psalm is linked to a tough time in David’s life.

He was on the run from King Saul (see 1 Samuel 21-26).
Remember, too, that not only was Saul his king but he was his father-in-law (! Samuel 18:27)

(Always wise to check the credentials of future in-laws!)

This Psalm is linked to 1 Samuel 22:1 when David has arrived at the cave of Adullam. At first, he is alone and afraid but is eventually joined by family and friends. How relevant this Psalm is today. Maybe we feel as if we are trapped in a cave, surrounded by ‘enemies’ and we can’t escape.

Let’s see how David came through.

1 A threatening situation

  • disaster   v.1b
  • hotly pursued   v.3b
  • ferocious beasts, or so it seemed   (v.4)
  • hunted and trapped   (v.6)

There was a story on Premier Radio on Monday morning. It mentioned a nurse, who said, “Colleagues in general are just scared, scared for their family, scared for one another. And in the midst of that, they’re really trying to do a good job of looking after patients but with this lurking fear in the back of their minds all the time, so it’s difficult. We’re front line medics, just living in the fear of death.”

(I will come back to her story later.)

Here is a threatening and a fearful situation.

But … there is

2 A transforming solution

  • Prayer - he knows what he is asking for and he longs to be heard.
    v.1a   “Have  mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.”  Note that David repeats his prayer.
    v.2     “I cry out…”
  • Confidence - he knows who he is talking to.
    v.2   “God Most High”   (El Elyon)
    v.3 and v.10   a God of love and faithfulness
    v.5    the God of heaven and the God of the whole earth
  • Assurance – he knows who he can trust - cf. Psalm 56:3-4 and 10-11.
     v.1   “in YOU I take refuge”

               “I take refuge in the shadow of YOUR wings”

God had never let David down and He wasn’t about to do that.

I return to the nurse’s story.

“for me, as a Christian, it’s made me more thankful than ever for the Gospel. I know that if the worst did happen and I did get the virus and I did actually die, I’d be with Jesus and I don’t have a shadow of doubt in my mind about that.”

Wow, what a testimony.
So was David’s testimony. From a threatening situation, through a transforming solution, he comes to…

3 A triumphant song

  • vs. 5 and 11   he longs for God to be exalted and glorified in the heavens and over all the earth. 
  • v.7   he reaffirms his trust in God – “my heart, O God, is steadfast”.
  • vs. 7 and 9   “I will sing, I will make music” … “I will praise you, Lord”. Note the theme of his song – the love and faithfulness of God.  
  • v.9   he witnesses to others – “among the nations” and “among the peoples”.

We, too, can sing of His love and His faithfulness.

‘How good is the God we adore
our faithful, unchangeable Friend.
His love is as great as His power
and knows neither measure nor end.’   

(R.P.)

Daily Readings

Thursday 14th May - Psalm 58

Friday 14th May - Psalm 59

Saturday 16th May - Psalm 60

Sunday 17th May - Psalm 61

Monday 18th May - Psalm 62

Tuesday 19th May - Psalm 63

 

New International Version - UK (NIVUK)
Holy Bible, New International Version® Anglicized, NIV® Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.