Psalm 57 – Don’t gripe, praise and rely on God instead!

Like Psalm 56, this song was also a cry for help during David’s life as a fugitive. He was running away from Saul whose leadership was threatened by David’s popularity. As the previous Psalm, he had also written this one for the choir director and had set it to the tune of Al-tashheth. This is also a golden Psalm as indicated by the superscript that tells us it’s a mikhtam of David. The historical setting once again can be read from 1 Samuel 22-24.

While both Psalms 56 and 57 began with the same cry for mercy, Psalm 57 concludes with a note of triumph. David exploded into a time of praise and thanksgiving. He praised God for His faithfulness and lovingkindness. He also praised God for being a God of truth. Here He extolled God who is exalted forever, whose glory hovers over the earth. Both verse 5 and verse 11 are the refrain. David began with a prayer in verses 1-4, followed by the refrain in verse 5. In the second stanza from verses 6-10, David celebrated the defeat of the enemies and then burst into great praise for the faithful God. And concluded with the refrain in verse 11.

The troubles that David were assailed with were like storms. They were fierce, dangerous and relentless. They could have swept him into destruction. Had it not for the shadow of God’s wings which he entered in and took refuge, and hiding from those storms. This same shadow of God’s wings can be our refuge in the time of our own storm. He is our hiding place where peace would be ensured. David had a clear perspective concerning the storms that came upon his life. In them he saw God’s purpose. So he prayed for God to accomplish all things to him. He was asking for God to bring to pass all that He had designed for his life. It is rare for one to see the purpose in a storm. But David did, and so must we. Storms are not there to break us, they are there to build our trust and horn our reliance on God. Although God’s plan may include stormy circumstance, let’s be reminded that it is always good and it’s the best. Why? Because it always flow out of His love and faithfulness towards us.

Instead of wallowing in misery, David encouraged himself, to station himself in a time of praise. He spoke to his inner being and told it to be awakened and break forth into praise. Like him we should praise God because He is faithful and merciful. His faithfulness and lovingkindness are immeasurable and boundless in capacity. They enlarged and expanded from heaven to earth. Where should we put our focus in times of trouble? David refused to look outward, He chose to reach inward, harness his strength and then look upward to the faithful and merciful God. From what he did, we must also not focus on the adverse, choose rather to reach in and harness our inner strength and then reach upward to God and trust Him to grant us a breakthrough. After we have prayed, just continue in praise and thanksgiving, in anticipation of His deliverance!