Read
(For the music leader. To the tune “Don't Destroy.” A special psalm by David when he was in the cave while running from Saul.)
Praise and Trust in Times
1 God Most High, have pity on me!
Have mercy. I run to you
for safety.
In the shadow of your wings,
I seek protection
till danger dies down.
2I pray to you, my protector.
3You will send help from heaven
and save me,
but you will bring trouble
on my attackers.
You are faithful,
and you can be trusted.
4My enemies are fierce,
much worse than lions!
They have spears and arrows
instead of teeth,
and they have sharp swords
instead of tongues.
5May you, my God, be honored
above the heavens;
may your glory be seen
everywhere on earth.
6 Enemies set traps for my feet
and struck me down.
They dug a pit in my path,
but fell in it themselves.
7I am faithful to you,
and you can trust me.
I will sing and play music
for you, my God.
8I feel wide awake!
I will wake up my harp
and wake up the sun.
9I will praise you, Lord,
for everyone to hear,
and I will sing hymns to you
in every nation.
10Your love reaches higher
than the heavens;
your loyalty extends
beyond the clouds.
11May you, my God, be honored
above the heavens;
may your glory be seen
everywhere on earth.
Reflect
My wife and I have taken to playing this little game we call “21 Praises” on days or in moments when we feel down or are struggling. Our lives have been a bit topsy-turvy this past year with housing changes, geographical changes, job changes and becoming empty nesters. It’s not that anything has been really bad but there has been a lot of uncertainty and challenging new beginnings. At times we just find ourselves saying, “Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me…until this disaster has passed” (v 1).
What we find ourselves doing is remembering his faithfulness up until now and then making a list between us of 21 things we are thankful for and can praise God for. ‘21’ is just an arbitrary number but it’s big enough that it forces us, when we are down, to go beyond the grudgingly obvious things like health, food, shelter, our loved ones…etc. and by the time we get to ten we are beginning to name things that are sometimes harder to be thankful for. Things like the unreliable nature of our income due to the nature of our work which, however, forces us into a daily reliance on God. Or the diminishing health of aging parents which in turn has served to bring our family closer together, some to offer sacrificial care and others to be humbly grateful to them for their commitment.
In this psalm David is upfront about the pitfalls and threats he is facing. It was likely written during the time he was on the run for his life from Saul. But, and this is the point, he always returns to praise; to thankfulness to God and a promise to “…praise you, O Lord, among the nations…” (v 9).
Respond
God of wonder, You alone are worthy of all praise. Reach out to me today with the issues I am facing so I can be always joyful, able to thank you in my circumstances and always know your presence through prayer. I ask this in the name of Jesus.
James Paterson
James works as a visual artist. His current body of work is a series of metal wire sculptures called Prayer Machines which are whimsically ambiguous machine-like objects that give expression to mystery. “I love to share the gospel message, using art as a bridge, to encourage people in their relationship with Jesus.” He and Lynn have four young adult children. Publications Jim’s Grandiose Big Bible Picture Book (Bastian Books ,2007)