Psalm 57

Prayer for rescue from persecutors. Psalm 57 (ASV)

For the Chief Musician; set to Al-tashheth. A Psalm of David. Michtam; when he fled from Saul, in the cave.

Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me;
For my soul taketh refuge in thee:
Yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I take refuge,
Until these calamities be overpast.
I will cry unto God Most High,
Unto God that performeth all things for me.
He will send from heaven, and save me,
When he that would swallow me up reproacheth; Selah
God will send forth his lovingkindness and his truth.
My soul is among lions;
I lie among them that are set on fire,
Even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows,
And their tongue a sharp sword.
Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Let thy glory be above all the earth.

They have prepared a net for my steps;
My soul is bowed down:
They have digged a pit before me;
They are fallen into the midst thereof themselves. Selah
My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed:
I will sing, yea, I will sing praises.
Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp:
I myself will awake right early.
I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the peoples:
I will sing praises unto thee among the nations.
10 For thy lovingkindness is great unto the heavens,
And thy truth unto the skies.
11 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Let thy glory be above all the earth.

In order for the psalmist to know to take refuge under the shadow of God’s “wings” as verse one states, his heart had to be prepared for such times when this would be necessary. Preparation of one’s heart for the Lord is absolutely essential and should be done in advance of the trouble that each of us will eventually face in this life. A great many people might never fall away from the LORD if they remembered to take care of the spiritual nurturing that happens when we pray and meditate on God’s word with regularity. How do we get to know the LORD? By spending time with Him.

In verse 2, the psalmist recognizes the need to cry unto God -and also that he depends on Him for all things. It is all too easy to think we can deal with the adversity we face in life, including first and foremost the assaults by our enemy, on our own will and strength. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Verse 7 is the key to success: fix your heart on God and give Him thanks and praise continuously (v.9)!

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