“Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me, For my soul takes refuge in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge Until destruction passes by. I will cry to God Most High, To God who accomplishes all things for me. He will send from heaven and save me; He reproaches him who tramples upon me. Selah. God will send forth His lovingkindness and His truth. My soul is among lions; I must lie among those who breathe forth fire, Even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows And their tongue a sharp sword. Be exalted above the heavens, O God; Let Your glory be above all the earth. They have prepared a net for my steps; My soul is bowed down; They dug a pit before me; They themselves have fallen into the midst of it. Selah. My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises! Awake, my glory! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations. For Your lovingkindness is great to the heavens And Your truth to the clouds. Be exalted above the heavens, O God; Let Your glory be above all the earth.”
Psalms 57:1-11
After David escaped from Saul and then from Achish of Gath (Ahimelech,) he ended up hiding in a cave. There he became the head of an army of 400 ragtag malcontents. This was not a pattern for success, and from a human standpoint David’s future looked bleak. From the cave he writes this lament of Psalm 57. Again, we see David starting from a position of praise even as he begs God for mercy. He affirms that God will fulfill His purpose for David, and he praises God for His character of love and faithfulness. There is a rhythm of back-and-forth praise and petition, but the final ending of the psalm is David’s resounding hope. His future is secure, and he thanks God because He is worthy of gratitude and praise, regardless of the trouble David is enduring. David is still a relatively young man as he writes this psalm, but he has rock-solid hope and confidence and praises God in advance for his anticipated victory over the enemy. Wow! What a challenge for us as we face our fears and learn to cry out to God with honest and specific needs, praise Him amid our fears, acknowledge that He is in control and let that lead us to peace, and express our emotions to God even as we trust Him for the outcome with assurance and hope.
“rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,”
Romans 12:12 NASB1995
Ask Yourself:
-How can you, in the power of the Holy Spirit, make the command in Romans 12:12 real in your life?
-How can remembering God’s goodness and past protection help us rejoice in hope?
-What does it mean to be ‘constant in prayer’?
Team Wade loves you and is praying for you ❤️👊