Shadow of Your Wings!

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by elizabethaudet

by elizabethaudet

Psalm 57:1-11

When David found himself in need, God provided comforters?! In 1 Samuel 22:1 he goes into the cave of Adullam. Verse two records, "And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented, gathered to him; and he became captain over them. Now there were 400 men with him." He had found in verse 3-4 a place in Mizpah of Moab. David said to the King of Moab, "Please let my father and mother come here with me. So he brought them before the king of Moab, and they dwelt with him all the time that David was in the stronghold." What a comfort to have his parent's safe from Saul's evil plans!

So we find David with 400 men in a cave. (You may notice these LAMENTS are not in consecutive order by happenings, as we are following them in consecutive number arrangement of the Bible. So sometimes, they backtrack, but they are, nevertheless, the truth of David's laments, which is not lost as we follow them in the Psalms.) The 400 men with David were experiencing the fallout of Saul's floundering reign. Some were staggering under pressure and stress, while others were in debt because of Saul's heavy taxation. Others resented Saul's leadership because of wrongful treatment to them personally. David also felt the pressures; so they all needed God's help and encouragement. They looked to David for this. David kept his eyes on God, therefore he gave them a sound Godly leadership. He trained them as warriors. (Read 1 Chronicles 11:10-47; 12:18). God enlarged David's band of men by His Spirit!

Now, with all this in mind, we enter Psalm 57:1-3-(NKJV). Here was David and his mighty men, but he wrote, "Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You;" (I want to stop here and tell you that Psalm 57 is one of a set of four which were set to music and sung by Israel. Psalms 58; 59; and 75 were combined with this one to become a song called, "DO NOT DESTROY" by the Chief Musician). Continuing in verse 1of Psalm 57 we read, "And in the Shadow of Your Wings I will make my REFUGE." What a beautiful thought! (Read Psalm 91:1-4). David said he was under, The shadow of God's wings "Until these calamities have passed by." (Read Psalms 17:8; 63:7; Isaiah 26:20)

David is lamenting but we know whom he is addressing! Therefore, he said, "I WILL CRY OUT TO GOD MOST HIGH, TO GOD WHO PERFORMS ALL THINGS FOR ME." (Read Psalm138:8; the word "performs" in Hebrew means "will perfect". God has to allow us some problems to work out His perfection in us.) David expressed his trust as he said, "He shall send from heaven and save me; He reproaches the ones who would swallow me up. Selah" (As it is, so let it be-EGA). He went on to say, "God shall send His mercy and His truth." (Read Psalms 144:5,7; 43:3)

David began to lay out his external situation before God in Psalm 57:4-6-(CEB)-:

1. "My life is in the middle of a pack of lions."

2. "I lie down among those who devour humans." (Could there be infiltrators among the 400 men?")

3. Their teeth are spears and arrows;"

4. "Their tongues are sharpened swords." (Proverbs 30:14; perhaps the men he referred to want to kill Saul and David did not want to do this!")

5. "Exalt Yourself, God, higher than the heavens!"

6. "Let Your Glory be over all the earth!"(Psalm 108:5)

7. "They laid a net for my feet to bring me down" (As a bird who is caught in a net)

8. "They dug a pit for me, but they fell into it instead!" (Psalm 9:15-16; David is referring to the grave as a pit. They were killed by their own plans to kill him.)

His conclusion is a long admonition to himself to shake loose the thoughts, which have gotten him down. They are internal, as opposed to the other attacks toward him, which were external. We fight two battles all the time. The one we observe and suffer from externally and the one we decide upon in our own minds, which is internal. That is God's dwelling place- on the internal! He brings to pass His eternal will in us internally first, than the external JUSTICE!

So David said in Psalm 57:7-11-(TEV)-:

1. "I am ready God; I am completely ready!" (Compare Paul's statement in 2Timothy 4:7)

2. "I will sing and praise You!" (Psalm 108:1-5)

3. "Wake up, my soul! Wake up my harp and lyre!" (David is shaking himself to realize his responsibility to God)

4. "I will wake up the sun! (Psalm 6:9)

5. "I will thank You among the nations, Lord!" (Psalm 108:3)

6. "I will praise You among the peoples!"

7. "Your constant love reaches up to the heaven," (Psalm 86:15)

8. "Your Faithfulness to the skies." (Psalm 103:11)

9. "God, show Your Greatness in the sky,"

10. "And Your Glory over all the earth!" (Psalm 57:5)

Praise God in His Holy Presence! Why do so many churches prevent free worship when we have so much to be thankful for? Raise the Praise! Israel did!

David experienced God's deliverance over and over. The memory of it lingered in his mind, even when he was at his lowest. After he fled the Cave of Adullam. Even when he feigned insanity before Achish and God delivered him. David still showed a teachable spirit toward God as he wrote many Psalms of Praise. He had humbled himself before God in Psalm 142:4-"no one cares for my soul." He rose to his knees in Psalm 57 that we just read, and stood up in Psalm 34:1-22-"I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth...". We are not more spiritual than David just because we push aside our pain and cover up our hurts with praises. God knows our innermost feelings and He wants to meet us there! Rise up as David in God's strength and then praise God for He will heal your hurts.

LET THE HEALING BEGIN! LET GOD'S GLORY BE ABOVE ALL THE EARTH!

Next time...