“I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens; your faithfulness extends to the clouds” (Psalm 57:9-10).
One of the reasons why I love the psalms is because of it’s brutal honesty of life as it is. There’s no need for sugarcoating and make-believe. The psalmist tells us how to praise and have faith in the midst of life as it is.
The verses for today’s meditation looks a whole lot like much of the other psalms of praise. It is a lovely affirmation of God’s steadfast love and God’s faithfulness.
Reading these verses in isolation gives the impression that things are going great. But that’s not the context. We are told the context of the declaration of faith and praise in the previous verses.
- “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge until the destroying storms pass by“ (v.1)
- “He will put to shame those who trample on me” (v.3)
- “I lie down among lions that greedily devour human pray; their teeth are spears and arrows, their tongues share swords“ (v.4)
- “They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my path” (v.6)
This is the context of praise. The context of praise is when things are hard, when things look down, when you feel beaten up, attacked. Because the absolutely necessary ingredient necessary for deliverance is trouble!!!
So, you feel beaten up? tired? attacked? Are things hard?
Great news!!! You are right where you need to be if you want to experience God’s faithfulness and steadfast love. That’s exactly the ingredients necessary for deliverance!!!
That is the context of praise.
And, that my friends, is why I love the psalms!
Praxis: Faith in Action 