It is easy to appreciate God's greatness during the good times. It is easy to praise God for His greatness when you are prosperous, when you have enough money to buy the things you want. It is easy to appreciate God's greatness when your health is good, when there seems to be no limit to the things you can do. It is easy to praise God for his greatness when all your relationships are running smoothly, when there is no conflict between you and your family and your co-workers and your friends. How easy it is to praise God for His greatness during the good times.
But do you always recognize God's greatness? Do you recognize God's greatness even when facing life's uncertainties? Can you still praise God during financial difficulties? Can you still praise God when your health is failing? Do you recognize God's greatness in both the good and the bad times?
Psalm 57 is David's response to a life-threatening situation. In this psalm God wants to show us how he expects us to respond to him when we face difficult times.
Notice that the title of the psalm gives us the circumstances under which the psalm was written. In order to understand why David was hiding from Saul in a cave, we need to understand the relationship between David and Saul as it is described in the First Book of Samuel.
Saul was the king of Israel, but because he disobeyed God, he was rejected by God as the king. Please understand that Saul still held the position of King of Israel, however he did not have God's blessing, and it was simply a matter of time before Saul would be removed from the throne. It was at this time that David originally found favor with Saul because of his ability to play the harp which relieved Saul of the evil spirits God sent to torment him. Eventually, God chose David to become the future king of Israel, and according to the First Book of Samuel: "...the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power". Later, David became an armor-bearer in Saul's army and perhaps he is best known for his battle with Goliath of Gath, the Philistine giant who stood over nine feet tall, and whom David was able to kill with a stone and a sling, the simple weapons of a shepherd.
David continued to experience success as a warrior, and, in fact, in everything he did David had great success because God was with him. As David's success as a warrior continued, he was promoted to a high rank in Saul's army. But David eventually lost favor with Saul. Saul became jealous of David's success as a warrior when the women in the towns of Israel sang about how "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands." Psalm 57 was written while David hid from Saul who sought to kill him because he knew David would replace him as the king of Israel.
We find David's initial response to Saul's pursuit in verse 1. As we read, notice where David keeps his immediate focus even though his life is in danger.
David's immediate focus, surprisingly, was not on his enemies. David knew his enemies were dangerous and that they sought to destroy him. Look at verse 4. Nevertheless, David kept his immediate focus off of his enemies. Instead, David responded to impending danger by confidently seeking God's
protection from his enemies.
How was David able to keep his initial focus on God? Picture the situation: David is in a dark cave, the ceiling of which is probably so low that he can't even stand up. He's hungry and thirsty. He hasn't slept for days. Perhaps from the opening of the cave he can look out and see dust coming up over the horizon from Saul's army. Shouldn't David have been more concerned about defending himself? Shouldn't David have been more concerned about coming up with some kind of a strategy? How could he be coming up with a psalm at a time like this? Where is your immediate focus when you face life's uncertainties? What is your first response when you see bad times coming up over the horizon?
The reason why David was able to keep his focus on God rather than on his danger may be found in v. 2.
Why does David address God as "the God Most High?" Why doesn't he address God as "God?" Because David wants to make an important point. He wants to impress upon us just how much authority God had over his life. You see, the God David worshiped wasn't a God who had authority over his life only when everything was going well. His God wasn't a god that was somehow limited in authority, a god who had dominion over some aspects of David's life, but when it came to a pursuing army, forget it! God's not big enough to handle anything like that! No!
By addressing God as "the God Most High", David recognized that the God he worshiped is a God who has ultimate authority over heaven and earth. David knew that he could trust his life to the God Most High because a God who had that kind of authority certainly had ultimate authority over David's life as well. By addressing God as the God Most High, David recognized God's ability to protect him from a pursuing enemy.
But how did David know God would protect him this time? Sure, God helped David defeat Goliath of Gath, but we're talking about an army here! Was there any proof that David could look at to show him that God would indeed protect him from danger? David gives us the reason for his confidence in God's protection in v. 3.
David was confident of God's protection because of who God is. The God Most High is a God who is loving and faithful to keep His promises to those who obey him. Perhaps while David was writing this psalm he was reminded of God's promise to Joshua 400 years earlier that the Israelites would conquer the land of Canaan as long as they were obedient to God. Perhaps David reflected on those times in his life when God had shown His faithfulness to David by protecting him from danger. David knew that the God Most High, who had shown his faithfulness to Joshua, was the same God who protected David from lions and bears as a shepherd. David knew that the God Most High had shown his faithfulness to David by allowing him to slay Goliath of Gath with a stone and a sling. And David knew that the God Most High was there with him in the cave ready to show his faithfulness to David by protecting him from Saul's pursuing army.
David's first response to danger was not to focus on the threat of a pursuing enemy. He did not despair, or become angry, or question God's goodness. David's first response was to recognize God's greatness because David knew that the God he worshipped was the God Most High, a God who had ultimate authority over David's life, and a God who is faithful in keeping his promises to those who obey Him.
Do you always recognize God's greatness? Do you recognize God's greatness even when facing the hard realities of life? Or do you wonder: "Where was God when I really needed him that time?" You may never face the possibility of death at the hands of the army of a jealous king, but you will face uncertainties during your lifetime. Where will your initial focus be when you face financial loss? What will be your first response when you face tension in your relationships? When you recognize God's greatness in the face of life's uncertainties, you recognize that the God you worship is the God Most High, a God who is sufficient to help you endure the hard realities of life. You can trust your life to the God Most High because He is a God who is faithful to keep His promises to those who obey Him.
After confidently seeking God's protection from his enemies, we find David's second response beginning with verse 5. David knew the fate of his enemies had been decided. He doesn't question God's faithfulness. He doesn't look over his shoulder to see whether God will really come through for him this time. David's responded to God's faithfulness with an attitude of unreserved praise. And the kind of praise David has in mind isn't modest; he's ready to break out the band! David wants a harp and a lyre, instruments of praise that would be used to worship of God in his temple. David responds to God's faithfulness with his heart and his mind totally turned toward God in an attitude of undivided praise. David knew that the God Most High deserved only the best praise he could offer.
How could David have had an attitude of unreserved praise toward God? Don't forget, Saul's army was in hot pursuit. How can you praise God with your whole heart when life's difficulties are knocking at your door? David had an attitude of unreserved praise because that was the only correct response he could have made. David had experienced God's faithfulness in the past, in both the good and the bad times, and David knew that the God Most High would be just as faithful to him there in the cave as He had been to David in the past.
How can you give God your unreserved praise even when facing life's uncertainties? How can you trust God's faithfulness so that you are free to give all of your attention toward praising Him? Perhaps you may think that you would be presumptuous to give all of your attention toward praising God when life's difficulties are looming in the background: "How can I praise God now? How could I possibly focus on God when my mind is consumed by everything
going on around me? When you recognize that the God you worship is the God Most High you recognize that God is just as faithful today as he had been to David, and he's just as faithful today as he has been in your past as well. The God Most High deserves no less than your total praise and worship.
Isn't it easy to appreciate God's greatness during the good times? But isn't it easy to appreciate God's greatness during the bad times as well? The God you worship is the God Most High, a God who has ultimate authority over heaven and earth, and a God who has that kind of authority certainly cares about your every need. When you recognize that God you worship is the God Most High, praising him in both the good and the bad times is the only correct response you can make.
In his letter to the Romans, Paul writes: "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." What an assurance you have! You can live your life knowing that the hardships and sufferings you endure are nothing compared to the blessings you will receive when your recognize God's greatness. You have the opportunity to experience God's greatness through His Son, Jesus Christ. When you put your faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ you begin to see life from an eternal perspective. Because of the hope that you have when you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior your focus will be on the eternal blessings you can expect to receive rather than on the temporary hardships of life you face. When you make God's Son, Jesus Christ, your Savior, you recognize that God is the ultimate authority over heaven and earth, and the ultimate authority over your life as well. Make God the ultimate authority over your life today.
