Throughout September 2022, I managed to read and reflect – briefly – on a Psalm each day. For December 2022, attempted to pick up the discipline. I got part-way through that month, and so after a long hiatus, am determined to get going. I’ll read the Psalm, pray, and then ponder a few questions:
- What is this Psalm about?
- What does this Psalm teach about God?
- How does this Psalm connect to God’s people today?
I’ll close the post with a simple prayer, trying to draw the themes together.
On the 14th of October, here’s Psalm 57:
1 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.
2 I cry out to God Most High,
to God, who vindicates me.
3 He sends from heaven and saves me,
rebuking those who hotly pursue me—[c]
God sends forth his love and his faithfulness.
4 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.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.
6 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.
7 My heart, O God, is steadfast,
my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and make music.
8 Awake, my soul!
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
9 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.
What is this Psalm about?
This is a Psalm of David, when he was hiding in a cave from Saul’s men. It is a Psalm that resonates through time with some of the words here inspiring Augustine to see a link to Jesus. It is a Psalm of fearful observation mixed with worship that recognises reality – no matter the pit, the net, the lions, God is to be praised, because God is Lord.
What does this Psalm teach about God?
The first verse teaches us that God is one who gives mercy, whilst the second affirms that a) God can be cried out to, b) God is the most high, and c) God vindicates his people (an idea explored among other places in Psalm 54). Verse 3 images God who ‘sends’ and ‘saves’ – an involved and strong God who is also in some way detached. One wonders whether the biblical imagery of ‘king of kings’ comes into play here – with God being ‘exalted’ (v5, 11) and also able to command things. There is an intimacy between God and His people (v7, 10), and worship and praise is important due to him (v7-9, 11).
How does this Psalm connect to God’s people today?
The kind of disaster alluded to in verse 1 (David fleeing from the soldiers of Saul) is an unlikely one for God’s people today, most of the time. Yet the ambiguity of language, the language of crying out and worshipping, is an ambiguity that can make this Psalm speak in the quiet night watches to anyone who is suffering. The way that Psalm 57 links worship to even the worst kinds of suffering is a profound challenge, and in that challenge is the comfort that the king of kings, the ‘Most High Lord’ who is ‘exalted above the heavens’, hears the crying in the night, accepts the broken and stumbling worship of His people, and will act.
A prayer drawn from Psalm 57
I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth. Lord, thank you that you hear my cry, and the cry of those around me. Be near, and act, I pray. Amen.
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