Psalms 57

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 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.  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭57:1-11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Jesus asked in Luke 12:25 (NLT): “Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” The answer to this question is undoubtedly, “No!” When we are facing trials in life, we have two options: focus on the problem, or do what we can do and trust God for the rest.  Dwelling on the problem leads to complaining, stress, and anxiety.  None of these things are helpful in any way, and instead tend to make the situation even worse.  However, a completely different outcome will occur if we can stay calm, act rationally, and have faith in our all-powerful God.  We need to focus on what God has done in the past, His love for us, and His willingness to help those who are faithful to Him: “The righteous person may have many troubles,  but the Lord delivers him from them all” (Psalms 34:19).  David wrote Psalm 57 when he was fleeing from King Saul, who was trying to hunt him down and kill him.  Despite this extremely stressful and grim situation, David provides a great example for us to follow in several ways:  

1)  He goes right to God and seeks comfort from Him.  

2)  He talks to God about his problems and asks for help.  

3)  He praises God for His unending love.   

4)  He tells God that his “heart is steadfast” (verse 7), meaning that he will remain dedicated to God no matter what happens in his life.  

Imagine the peace David must have experienced because he stayed focused on our powerful God rather than on his terrible circumstances! 

The next time you are faced with a challenging situation, you will need to make a choice whether to worry or pray.  It is absolutely pointless to do both, so make the choice to pray and then trust in God’s power, God’s goodness, and God’s love for you!