Showing posts with label Psalm 57. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Psalm 57. Show all posts
Monday, October 20, 2025
Psalm Meditation 1323
¶Proper 25
¶October 26, 2025
¶Psalm 57
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2057&version=NRSVUE
¶There are times in our lives in which we are in distress and we call out to God for help. When we are delivered through some miraculous series of events we suddenly forget that God is at work in our lives and we are relieved at how easy it was for us to get out of that all by ourselves. God would not have had a hand in something that was such a simple fix, however we will keep God in mind for a time when our difficulties seem insurmountable. Maybe the crisis was not miraculous, it was simply that the right person came along at the right time to offer us the help we need.
¶The psalmist is more than willing to give God the credit for the events that brought this crisis to a conclusion in the psalmist’s favor. This cascade of helpful events not only lead to playing and singing in the privacy of hearth and home, there will be a public proclamation of the goodness of God far and wide, to friends and enemies alike. The psalmist wants to model and encourage thankfulness around the goodness and faithfulness of God in good times and bad, especially for God’s presence in the face of evil.
¶The psalmist invites us and encourages us to give thanks to God for each and every deliverance we experience. In the rare event that God was not actively participating in our deliverance, I am sure that God appreciates our thankfulness in every time and place. As we offer our thanks to God on a regular basis we will find ourselves growing in thankfulness for all the people and events around us. In the late sixties and early seventies some folks around me used the phrase, “Well praise the Lord, anyway.” The psalmist encourages us to say, “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.”
¶October 20, 2025
¶LCM
Monday, December 5, 2022
Psalm Meditation 1173
¶Third Sunday of Advent
¶December 11, 2022
¶Psalm 57
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+57&version=NRSVUE
(NRSV)
¶There is nothing quite so comforting as a song rising in your heart to buoy your spirits, and make the mood lighter. However, there are times in which a song will not rise and a dark mood is made that much darker by the absence of music. Times of tragedy and grief, times of stress, and times of terror are a few of the moments in our lives that rob the music from us. In one particular case for me, I did not notice that I had been bereft of song until it suddenly returned one day. As music rose again I realized how much I had missed it.
¶The introduction to this psalm says it comes from a time in which David was fleeing from Saul. I imagine that David was drained by all the stresses and losses that accompanied falling out of Saul’s favor. In verse seven David is able to muster the wherewithal to say, “My heart is steadfast, O God; my heart is steadfast. I will sing and make melody.” He pushes himself to raise a song, and in it he finds comfort and the assurance that God is present in this, and every time of David’s life. It isn’t always that easy, which may explain why David is such a model of faithfulness.
¶As David recovers the ability to sing, the companion sense of thankfulness to God rises as well. In thankfulness David can rediscover a sense the steadfast love of God that moves so many of us from our bleak places to a deeper appreciation of the ways God loves and cares for us all the time. “For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens; your faithfulness extends to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth. “
¶December 5, 2022
¶LCM
Monday, January 20, 2020
Psalm Meditation 1023
Third Sunday After Epiphany
January 26, 2020
Psalm 57
1 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.
2 I cry to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
3 He will send from heaven and save me, he will put to shame those who trample on me. Selah
God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness.
4 I lie down among lions that greedily devour human prey; their teeth are spears and arrows, their tongues sharp swords.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.
6 They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my path, but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing and make melody.
8 Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn.
9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.
10 For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens; your faithfulness extends to the clouds.
11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth. (NRSV)
Many years ago a classmate asked if our children ever sat on the arm of the couch and leaned back to see if we would catch them before they hit the floor. When those of us whose children were younger said it had not happened, he assured us that it would. I do not recall that ever happening with our children. The issue is trust. Did his children need to know if he could be trusted to be there for them, did our children trust us enough that they felt no need to test us?
The psalmist writes about trusting in God. The psalmist trusts God to be there in times of need. Testing God is not necessary; past experience is sufficient proof of God’s willingness to be present with and for us. In the Gospel accounts of the temptations Jesus reminds us that we do well to refrain from putting God to the test. When the psalmist lies down among lions, it is a reality rather than a test of God’s presence. And because God is a faithful protector, the psalmist is alive to tell of the experience.
There are folks who test God with some regularity. As they wait for a word or sign from God they take things into their own hands by risking their own life and limb as well as the lives of others. God does not watch over us because we deserve it, God watches over us out of love and concern for us. Sometimes that means protecting us from harm, other times it means being with us as we suffer the consequences of our actions or those of others. God loves us and is worthy of the refrain, “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.”
January 20, 2020
LCM
Third Sunday After Epiphany
January 26, 2020
Psalm 57
1 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.
2 I cry to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
3 He will send from heaven and save me, he will put to shame those who trample on me. Selah
God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness.
4 I lie down among lions that greedily devour human prey; their teeth are spears and arrows, their tongues sharp swords.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.
6 They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my path, but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing and make melody.
8 Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn.
9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.
10 For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens; your faithfulness extends to the clouds.
11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth. (NRSV)
Many years ago a classmate asked if our children ever sat on the arm of the couch and leaned back to see if we would catch them before they hit the floor. When those of us whose children were younger said it had not happened, he assured us that it would. I do not recall that ever happening with our children. The issue is trust. Did his children need to know if he could be trusted to be there for them, did our children trust us enough that they felt no need to test us?
The psalmist writes about trusting in God. The psalmist trusts God to be there in times of need. Testing God is not necessary; past experience is sufficient proof of God’s willingness to be present with and for us. In the Gospel accounts of the temptations Jesus reminds us that we do well to refrain from putting God to the test. When the psalmist lies down among lions, it is a reality rather than a test of God’s presence. And because God is a faithful protector, the psalmist is alive to tell of the experience.
There are folks who test God with some regularity. As they wait for a word or sign from God they take things into their own hands by risking their own life and limb as well as the lives of others. God does not watch over us because we deserve it, God watches over us out of love and concern for us. Sometimes that means protecting us from harm, other times it means being with us as we suffer the consequences of our actions or those of others. God loves us and is worthy of the refrain, “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.”
January 20, 2020
LCM
Monday, November 12, 2018
Psalm Meditation 961
Proper 28
November 18, 2018
Psalm 57
1 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.
2 I cry to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
3 He will send from heaven and save me, he will put to shame those who trample on me. Selah God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness.
4 I lie down among lions that greedily devour human prey; their teeth are spears and arrows, their tongues sharp swords.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.
6 They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my path, but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing and make melody.
8 Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn.
9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.
10 For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens; your faithfulness extends to the clouds.
11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.
(NRSV)
Children have a habit of looking parents in the eye as they break the rules they have been given. I have discovered they do the same thing to grandparents. It is annoying, to say the least, and can be dangerous depending on the rule. They can test our promises of love and protection in the same way. When the psalmist writes, “I lie down among lions that greedily devour human prey;” I know there are those who have done that in order to see if God will rescue them.
One of my professors in seminary opened a class session with the question, “As parents, how do you know you have lost control of your children?” None of us answered because we didn’t want to admit that we ever lost control of our children so he answered his own question. “You know you have lost control when you have to reach out and physically restrain your children.” He continued, “God does not lose control.” If we happen to lie down among lions, or are forced to lie down among them, God will be with us. If we choose to lie down among lions in order to test God’s presence, God will be with us. No matter what, there will be consequences. God is with us. That does not mean we will be delivered from the consequences of our actions.
The love of God reaches from the heights to the depths and on every side of us. We can doubt it and ignore it. We can test it to disprove it. We can test it until we learn to trust it. No matter what, God is with us, offering us steadfast love and presence. God does not save us by snatching us out of harm’s way, God saves us by being with us and loving us in every situation in which we find ourselves. “For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens; your faithfulness extends to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.”
November 12, 2018
LCM
Proper 28
November 18, 2018
Psalm 57
1 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.
2 I cry to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
3 He will send from heaven and save me, he will put to shame those who trample on me. Selah God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness.
4 I lie down among lions that greedily devour human prey; their teeth are spears and arrows, their tongues sharp swords.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.
6 They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my path, but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing and make melody.
8 Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn.
9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.
10 For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens; your faithfulness extends to the clouds.
11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.
(NRSV)
Children have a habit of looking parents in the eye as they break the rules they have been given. I have discovered they do the same thing to grandparents. It is annoying, to say the least, and can be dangerous depending on the rule. They can test our promises of love and protection in the same way. When the psalmist writes, “I lie down among lions that greedily devour human prey;” I know there are those who have done that in order to see if God will rescue them.
One of my professors in seminary opened a class session with the question, “As parents, how do you know you have lost control of your children?” None of us answered because we didn’t want to admit that we ever lost control of our children so he answered his own question. “You know you have lost control when you have to reach out and physically restrain your children.” He continued, “God does not lose control.” If we happen to lie down among lions, or are forced to lie down among them, God will be with us. If we choose to lie down among lions in order to test God’s presence, God will be with us. No matter what, there will be consequences. God is with us. That does not mean we will be delivered from the consequences of our actions.
The love of God reaches from the heights to the depths and on every side of us. We can doubt it and ignore it. We can test it to disprove it. We can test it until we learn to trust it. No matter what, God is with us, offering us steadfast love and presence. God does not save us by snatching us out of harm’s way, God saves us by being with us and loving us in every situation in which we find ourselves. “For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens; your faithfulness extends to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.”
November 12, 2018
LCM
Monday, April 14, 2014
Psalm Meditation 722
Easter
April 20, 2014
Psalm 57
1 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.
2 I cry to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
3 He will send from heaven and save me, he will put to shame those who trample on me. Selah God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness.
4 I lie down among lions that greedily devour human prey; their teeth are spears and arrows, their tongues sharp swords.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.
6 They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my path, but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing and make melody.
8 Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn.
9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.
10 For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens; your faithfulness extends to the clouds.
11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.
(NRSV)
Every now and then things go from bad to wonderful. Sometimes that change is sudden and one is excited to be the first one up on a given morning and to greet the day with the loudest music one is able to produce. For some of us that is music of our own making, with instruments and voices, for others it involves cranking recorded music as high as possible. In some cases we can actually have the volume as loud as available, in other cases, only as loud as feasible without waking folks who are suddenly not as excited to be awake and celebrating as we ourselves are.
In these cases it may be a turn of events, something has happened in our external circumstances that changes our lives for the better. Something that has troubled us suddenly ends and leaves us with a feeling, not just of relief, a feeling of release. A weight lifts from our shoulders and is gone. It may be a sudden change of heart. A burden weighing on heart or soul disappears and our hearts beat freely, our souls once again take flight. Either way, we are able to join the psalmist in recognizing the hand of God at work in our lives in some way.
Whether God reaches in and stirs the pot of our lives, changing the way things are, or we become aware of God’s presence in our lives, giving us a new perspective, we know that God is with us. In a musical setting of the psalm’s refrain, verses 5 and 11, the verse is rendered, ‘Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory over all the earth be found.’ It is an appropriate phrasing of the last sentence. The glory of God is over all the earth, all the time. It is in our moments of heightened awareness due to joy that we are able to find the glory of the God in all the earth.
April 14, 2014
LCM
Easter
April 20, 2014
Psalm 57
1 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.
2 I cry to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
3 He will send from heaven and save me, he will put to shame those who trample on me. Selah God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness.
4 I lie down among lions that greedily devour human prey; their teeth are spears and arrows, their tongues sharp swords.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.
6 They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my path, but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing and make melody.
8 Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn.
9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.
10 For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens; your faithfulness extends to the clouds.
11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.
(NRSV)
Every now and then things go from bad to wonderful. Sometimes that change is sudden and one is excited to be the first one up on a given morning and to greet the day with the loudest music one is able to produce. For some of us that is music of our own making, with instruments and voices, for others it involves cranking recorded music as high as possible. In some cases we can actually have the volume as loud as available, in other cases, only as loud as feasible without waking folks who are suddenly not as excited to be awake and celebrating as we ourselves are.
In these cases it may be a turn of events, something has happened in our external circumstances that changes our lives for the better. Something that has troubled us suddenly ends and leaves us with a feeling, not just of relief, a feeling of release. A weight lifts from our shoulders and is gone. It may be a sudden change of heart. A burden weighing on heart or soul disappears and our hearts beat freely, our souls once again take flight. Either way, we are able to join the psalmist in recognizing the hand of God at work in our lives in some way.
Whether God reaches in and stirs the pot of our lives, changing the way things are, or we become aware of God’s presence in our lives, giving us a new perspective, we know that God is with us. In a musical setting of the psalm’s refrain, verses 5 and 11, the verse is rendered, ‘Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory over all the earth be found.’ It is an appropriate phrasing of the last sentence. The glory of God is over all the earth, all the time. It is in our moments of heightened awareness due to joy that we are able to find the glory of the God in all the earth.
April 14, 2014
LCM
Monday, February 25, 2013
Psalm Meditation 663
Third Sunday in Lent
March 3, 2013
Psalm 57
1 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.
2 I cry to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
3 He will send from heaven and save me, he will put to shame those who trample on me. (Selah) God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness.
4 I lie down among lions that greedily devour human prey; their teeth are spears and arrows, their tongues sharp swords.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.
6 They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my path, but they have fallen into it themselves. (Selah)
7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing and make melody.
8 Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn.
9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.
10 For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens; your faithfulness extends to the clouds.
11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.
(NRSV)
In the midst of the worst situation we take comfort in the presence of God. We know that the presence of God and the support of God’s people lightens the burden we are called upon to carry. That has not always been the case. Previous generations of faithful people have seen God’s presence and love as conditional. When they did well, God was with us, when they turned from God they were judged and abandoned. We find ourselves wondering if they might be right, ‘what could we have done to deserve the terrible thing that is happening?’ Then we experience God’s presence and know that God’s love is unconditional.
God does not keep us from harm so much as God is with us in all times and places. God offers presence rather than protection. As our childhood fears were lessened by the comforting presence of a parent or older sibling, we find that an awareness of the presence of God gives us comfort as we face any current darkness.
God is with us. That doesn’t mean we won’t face problems so much as it means we won’t face those problems alone. A supportive community serves to remind us of God’s presence by surrounding us with love and care, simply being there with us and for us. Knowing that we are loved with the steadfast love of God touches and lifts our hearts out of the shadows and above the storms. Our problems do not disappear, but we face them with the assurance of the presence and love of God.
February 25, 2013
Third Sunday in Lent
March 3, 2013
Psalm 57
1 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.
2 I cry to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
3 He will send from heaven and save me, he will put to shame those who trample on me. (Selah) God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness.
4 I lie down among lions that greedily devour human prey; their teeth are spears and arrows, their tongues sharp swords.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.
6 They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my path, but they have fallen into it themselves. (Selah)
7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing and make melody.
8 Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn.
9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.
10 For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens; your faithfulness extends to the clouds.
11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.
(NRSV)
In the midst of the worst situation we take comfort in the presence of God. We know that the presence of God and the support of God’s people lightens the burden we are called upon to carry. That has not always been the case. Previous generations of faithful people have seen God’s presence and love as conditional. When they did well, God was with us, when they turned from God they were judged and abandoned. We find ourselves wondering if they might be right, ‘what could we have done to deserve the terrible thing that is happening?’ Then we experience God’s presence and know that God’s love is unconditional.
God does not keep us from harm so much as God is with us in all times and places. God offers presence rather than protection. As our childhood fears were lessened by the comforting presence of a parent or older sibling, we find that an awareness of the presence of God gives us comfort as we face any current darkness.
God is with us. That doesn’t mean we won’t face problems so much as it means we won’t face those problems alone. A supportive community serves to remind us of God’s presence by surrounding us with love and care, simply being there with us and for us. Knowing that we are loved with the steadfast love of God touches and lifts our hearts out of the shadows and above the storms. Our problems do not disappear, but we face them with the assurance of the presence and love of God.
February 25, 2013
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