The Blackbird’s Song – Psalm 57: 1-11
Praise and Assurance under Persecution
To the leader: Do Not Destroy. Of David. A Miktam, when he fled from Saul, in the cave.
1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
until the destroying storms pass by.
2 I cry to God Most High,
to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
3 He will send from heaven and save me,
he will put to shame those who trample on me.Selah
God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness.
4 I lie down among lions
that greedily devour human prey;
their teeth are spears and arrows,
their tongues sharp swords.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens.
Let your glory be over all the earth.
6 They set a net for my steps;
my soul was bowed down.
They dug a pit in my path,
but they have fallen into it themselves.Selah
7 My heart is steadfast, O God,
my heart is steadfast.
I will sing and make melody.
8 Awake, my soul!
Awake, O harp and lyre!
I will awake the dawn.
9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to you among the nations.
10 For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens;
your faithfulness extends to the clouds.
11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens.
Let your glory be over all the earth.
What does the passage say?
We shared the story of Saul chasing after David, last Tuesday. (Click to read last Tuesday’s devotion)
During the time of fleeing from Saul, David hides himself in the cave.”David left there and escaped to the cave of Adullam;” (1 Samuel 22:1 NRSV)
Psalm 57 is a prayer of David, reflecting on the time of despair.
V. 1-3 David, in the cave, cries out to the Lord. In one of the most darkest point of his life, he believes when he cries out, God will come to the rescue.
V. 4-6 He describes how all his enemies are creeping up to surround him with danger. However, he also believes that God’s glory will be revealed. He says, “They dug a pit in my path, but they have fallen into it themselves” (v. 6 NRSV).
V. 7-11 The highlight of this Psalm is when David says, ‘regardless of my situation, my heart is steadfast.’ Nothing changed at the moment he was praying, but he proclaims that it is well. What a faith!
What does this mean to me/ us?
The Message Bible says, “Be good to me, God – and now! I’ve run to you for dear life. I’m hiding out under your wings until the hurricane blows over.”
Hiding in the cave might have been the darkest moment of David’s life. He was an emerging star in Isreal. Everyone, even Saul, knew he would be the next king. Now this potential king is hiding in a cave, as a refuge. How can he say this place of darkness is equivalent to God’s wing?
In that time and place, where he knew that he couldn’t rely on anything else in the world, we were able to see how God’s hand was evident in his life. The time of crisis might have been hurtful to him, but it revealed a new perspective. It was powerful enough; he wrote a Psalm to remember it. And he knew, even though the crisis wasn’t over, how to praise God and focus on God’s hand.
It is tough to say this, but I would like to ask if we can rejoice the fact that we have difficulties in our lives. We do hope and pray that evil will not consume us. However, we also pray that through the experience of darkness, in life, we will be able to see God in a different way.
Lord, help us to see you, even in the darkest moment of our lives. May we still be able to praise your name in our caves. And may we see how you work in our lives, more vividly. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.
What are your thoughts?
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One Comment
Sue McCoy
I am not quite willing to be thankful for the event of Josh’s death but I do know I am much closer to God and more aware of his presence in my daily life. For that I am grateful.
I pray that you are feeling God in every minute of your days at the conference. Those can be so full of the spirit with so many Methodists working and praying together. Praying for decisions based on Gods will! Blessings to you.
Sue
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