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PSALM 57 (New King James Version)
PRAYER FOR SAFETY FROM ENEMIES
To the chief musician. Set to “Do not Destroy” A Michtam of David when he fled from Saul into the cave.
- Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; and in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed me by.
- I will cry out to God most High, to God who performs all things for me.
- He shall send from heaven and save me; He reproaches the one who would swallow me up. Selah
God shall send forth His mercy and His truth.
- My soul is among lions; I lie among the sons of men who are set on fire, whose teeth are spears and arrows, And their tongue a sharp sword.
- Be exalted O God, above the heavens; Let Your glory be above all the earth.
- They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down; they have dug a pit before me; into the midst of it they themselves have fallen. Selah
- My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise.
- Awake, my glory ! Awake, lute and harp! I will awaken the dawn.
- I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing to You among the nations.
- For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens, And Your truth unto the clouds.
- Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; Let Your glory be above all the earth.
This week, I want to quote directly from an excerpt from John Maxwell as he taught on this Psalm.
‘Psalm 57 gives a beautiful picture of a leader in touch with his humanity.David composed it as he fled from Saul in the mountains and caves of Israel. The Psalm expresses anxiety and fear, yet it ends with triumph: “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be above all the earth”.
Author Phillip Yancey suggests that David wrote and sang the Psalms as therapy for himself. Somehow, telling himself the truth enabled him to rise above his fear and see a transcendent God who remained in control.
Fortunately, few of us live with such danger. Like David, however, we all have times when nerves fail and fear creeps in. We feel surrounded by adversaries. Telling ourselves the truth, as David did, will heal and comfort us, as it did him. The truth of Psalm 57 can serve as our counsellor. Successful leaders tell themselves the truth and gain perspective in the midst of volatile emotions.‘
John Maxwell.
David did not hide in the cave alone, but as you can see, he hid in the cleft of the wing of the Almighty God. Evil will pass, but the eternal wings of God will shadow us forever.One of my favourite things about this Psalm, as even before David has finished his prayer… he lets out a song of praise… BE EXALTED O GOD….. LET YOUR GLORY BE OVER ALL THE EARTH….. Please team, never get used to the Psalms encouraging us to praise in the midst of our storms, for His glory, glory and faithfulness must be universally proclaimed. Spurgeon says…’ as the air surrounds nature, so let thy praises gird the earth with a zone of song.’
Verse seven is victory itself… my heart IS steadfast O God… David’s resolve is strong and sure… with his mouth and with his heart he brings honour unto God. He says, ’satan will not stop me, nor Saul, nor the philistines, in ALL seasons I WILL magnify the Lord.’
The last verse is such a glorious picture… you feel the need for the orchestra to take over and put the words to the highest crescendo they can possibly imagine to communicate, as we say, be exalted O God, above the heavens… as the praise rises higher and higher and knows no bounds… ah… sounds like heaven to me…
Last week, Mark and I and some friends went to see Pavarotti and the symphony orchestra play some of his classic pieces. Every now and again I closed my eyes and just tried to BREATHE IN the music, as the arrangements were breathtakingly wonderful to say the least, and when Pavarotti was not singing and the sound of the musicians took to the fore, well, it sounded like heaven on earth, trying to be heard. Never take the role of the musician for granted, for I believe, as I can hear in David’s voice again and again trying to convey through the Psalms, that if we allow ourselves to be passionate about the language conveyed through music and song, that there is a whole new sound yearning to be heard… if you have ears to hear, and a heart to feel.
Love you guys, tonight will be as great as YOU make it, so press in, be willing to be stretched, be faithful in your calling and your gifting…and look out!! If God is for you, who can be against you!!!
OK TEAM….forever your great fan, Darls. |
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