Be Exalted, O God . . .

My soul is in the midst of lions;
I lie down amid fiery beasts-
the children of man whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!
Psalm 57:4-5

I am so struck every time I read these verses. In one verse, David’s talking about horrifying circumstances and in the next, he’s entirely concerned with God’s glory. David wrote these words while hiding from Saul in a cave, and with his very life threatened, here you have his response.

My heart is steadfast, O God,
My heart is steadfast!
I will sing and make melody!
Awake, my glory!
Awake, O harp and lyre!
I will awake the dawn!
I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to you among the nations. (vv. 7-9)

How wonderful is that! He’s not just passively enduring a difficult situation, he’s giving thanks and making music and singing praises to God, giving God glory through his response. Will we respond in the same way in the midst of affliction, with steadfast hearts because we trust in Him.

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,
till the storms of destruction pass by.
I cry out to God Most High,
to God who fulfills his purpose for me. (vv. 1-2)

The psalm begins with these words, and here, David finds his sole place of refuge until the storms of destruction pass by. Oh how I love these verses, yet I wonder, when faced with incredible difficulty, if I’m more eager to respond in this way than in the way in which we see in v. 5.

~ by nve on June 4, 2008.