Psalms
Chapter 57
Have Mercy, O God, On Me, Who Take Refuge in You
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy; for my soul takes refuge in you; I will find shelter in the shadow of your wings, till the disaster has passed.
I call on God the Most High; on God, who has done everything for me:
may he send from heaven, a savior, and put my oppressors to shame. May God send me his love and faithfulness.
I lie prostrate in the midst of lions that greedily devour people; their teeth are pointed spears and arrows; their tongues, sharpened swords.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Your glory be over all the earth!
They have set a snare for my steps; my soul was bowed down in distress. They dug a pit along my path, but they themselves fell into it.
My heart is steadfast, O God; my heart is steadfast. I will sing and make music.
Awake, my soul; awake, O harp and lyre! I will wake the dawn.
I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praise to you among the nations.
For your love reaches to the heavens, and your faithfulness, to the clouds.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!
Commentaries
57
The intensity of the psalmists’ emotions is always surprising. Heaven knows what some of them must have endured. Even their joy seems to shine through tears. This individual lament, followed by thanksgiving, resembles the previous psalm and many others in form and content. However, there is more triumphant joy at the end. The ‘morning’ in the psalm often symbolizes the beginning of new hope. The psalmist is awake, shouting so loudly that personified Dawn, relief, must come. The psalmist’s prayer in verse 4, ‘may he send from heaven a savior…” is answered. God did send us Jesus Christ as our Savior. So, we have much to thank God for and to exalt his Holy Name! In fact, in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4, Jesus teaches us how to pray so we can thank God and make his Glory fill the earth. This psalm could be the prayer of someone who waits with complete trust for calamities to end. The glory of the Most High fills the earth.