Psalms 57:1

The Bible says in Psalms 57:1, “Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.” We always want to ask God for mercy, and when we do, He always gives it to us through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. It says in Hebrews 4:14-16, “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.[15] For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.[16] Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

Psalms 57:1 gives us a symbolism from the animal kingdom: “the shadow of thy wings.” Jesus used the same imagery in Matthew 23:37, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” And so how do we get this type of protection from the Lord where we are under His wings and no one can get to us? We make a decision to run to Him and trust in Him.

The Bible says in Psalms 57:2, “I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me.” Why did David talk to God about all of his troubles? David knew that God was everywhere and involved in all things. David knew that absolutely everything that happened in his life came from God. That means that God allows the troubles, and that God can stop the troubles. Go to the One who decides everything. Go to the One who has the power. David said at the end of verse two that it is “God that performeth all things for me.”

The Bible says in Psalms 57:3, “He shall send from heaven, and save from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth.” This verse is another expression of great confidence that God will help. David knew that God would help him. David knew that God would protect him. David knew that God would answer his prayers. Every believer can and should have this same confidence in the Lord. David had enemies, but David knew that he only needed the Lord and the “mercy” and “truth” that God alone can send. When you have God’s mercy, your sins are forgiven and you are acceptable to God. Also, when you have God’s mercy through faith in Christ, it means that God is compassionate and kind towards you, and therefore He is going to help you in all of your troubles. Truth is very powerful. Be on the side of truth. Tell the truth. Ask God to send His truth. That is all. State the facts, and state them clearly with no animosity. The truth is powerful in any situation. Jesus is the truth, and so you need to be rightly related to Jesus to have Truth on your side.

The Bible says in Psalms 57:4-7, “My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.[5] Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth.[6] They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah.[7] My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.” In these verses David goes back and forth between two thoughts. The first thought is about his enemies and how powerful they are. David describes them in verse four as lions with sharp teeth and sharp tongues. In verse six David describes them as laying a net and a pit to ensnare him. But each time that David mentions his enemies, David then mentions God and what God is going to do for David to deliver him. In verse five David says that God is “above the heavens.” That means that God is in charge of everyone, including David’s enemies. God will decide what they do and what they will not do. Yes, the enemies will dig a pit, but at the end of verse six David says that because of God, the enemies will fall into their own pit. And David knows what he must do to have peace and joy. In verse seven David says that his “heart is fixed” on God. Do not think too much about your enemies or other negative thoughts. Think about God and all that He will do for you and you will have peace and joy.

The Bible says in Psalms 57:8-11, “Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.[9] I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations.[10] For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds.[11] Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth.” Verse eight has a bit of a practical aspect to it. David said, “I myself will awake early.” Benjamin Franklin said, “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” Of course, part of that has to do with exactly what you do when you rise early. David said at the start of verse nine, “I will praise thee.” If we have faith, we should be able to praise Him. At the start of the day we know that God will take care of us, He will use us, He will provide for us, and He will guide us. This is one more day to live on the earth until we get to heaven because of Jesus. We will always be able to praise Him for that. David said that he would praise the Lord “among the people.” God wants us to gather with other Christians and lift our voices together to praise the name of Christ. Jesus said in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

David also said in verse nine that he would praise God “among the nations.” As a believer he wanted to have a part in spreading the Gospel. David knew that others needed to be touched by the Spirit, and God often uses His children to do that. If you are walking in fellowship with Christ, you will be concerned about the whole world. Be happy because of your faith, and praise God, and you will go a long way to being a light in a dark world.

In verse ten David said that he would praise God because of God’s “mercy” and “truth.” Where else can you go for mercy and truth except to the Lord Jesus? If you know that you are a sinner, then you should know how precious is the mercy of God that gives the forgiveness of sin through faith in Christ. If you understand how great is the spiritual darkness of the world, and without Christ how much you would have always been a part of that darkness, then you will praise Him.

David ends Psalm 57 by saying in verse eleven, “Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth.” What is one of the main activities in heaven: praise to God and the Son of God. In heaven is the manifestation of the glory of God in its greatest form. God’s grace and love and truth and power and light and beauty emanates from His throne in heaven, and millions of angels and believers surround that throne praising God and singing His praises. The more that you praise God while you are on the earth, the more that you will be involved in heavenly activity. You will experience heaven on earth.

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