Psalm 57

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in thee my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of thy wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by

I cry to God Most High, to God who fulfils his purpose for me. He will send from heaven and save me, ...

God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness!

I lie in the midst of lions that greedily devour the sons of men; their teeth are spears and arrows, their tongues sharp swords.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let thy glory be over all the earth!

They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down.

They dug a pit in my way, but they have fallen into it themselves.

My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast!

I will sing and make melody!

Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn!

I will give thanks to thee, O Lord, among the peoples;

I will sing praises to thee among the nations.

For thy steadfast love is great to the heavens, thy faithfulness to the clouds.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!

Let thy glory be over all the earth!

Comment:

Psalm 57 is one that very clearly shows us that its origin was musical, its words sung as a hymn. The repetition of phrases suggests a poetic rhythm even in translation. Like many psalms, it juxtaposes a deep sense of mortal despair with an affirmation that God will provide, God will guide us out of the darkness into the light. We're told in the psalm's introduction that it is attributed to "David, when he fled from Saul, in the cave." That doesn't mean David wrote it, but that its composer was thinking of David hiding in the cave, waiting until "the storms of destruction pass by" (v.1).  

Certainly, we can all recognize times in our lives—present or past—when we have felt ourselves to be hiding in fear of greedy and rapacious lions seeking to stake from us our good. It is natural for our limited ego mind, which has accumulated many fearful thoughts, to be in despair in this situation. But that is not the only voice within us. We also have the voice of God, our true being, which is our source for guidance and release. We access that divine voice with ringing affirmations that God is our source and our salvation. In the certainty of our Oneness with God we are always safe, always safely guided to greater experiences of infinite Good.