Praise at Dawn · Day 12
Psalms 56–60 — When I Am Afraid
About 10 min read · 64 v.
Choosing trust in the presence of fear.
Psalm 56
For the Chief Musician. To the tune of “Silent Dove in Distant Lands.” A poem by David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath.
1Be merciful to me, God, for man wants to swallow me up. All day long, he attacks and oppresses me.
2My enemies want to swallow me up all day long, for they are many who fight proudly against me.
3When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.
4In God, I praise his word. In God, I put my trust. I will not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?
5All day long they twist my words. All their thoughts are against me for evil.
6They conspire and lurk, watching my steps. They are eager to take my life.
7Shall they escape by iniquity? In anger cast down the peoples, God.
8You count my wanderings. You put my tears into your container. Aren’t they in your book?
9Then my enemies shall turn back in the day that I call. I know this: that God is for me.
10In God, I will praise his word. In the LORD, I will praise his word.
11I have put my trust in God. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
12Your vows are on me, God. I will give thank offerings to you.
13For you have delivered my soul from death, and prevented my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living.
Psalm 57
For the Chief Musician. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A poem by David, when he fled from Saul, in the cave.
1Be merciful to me, God, be merciful to me, for my soul takes refuge in you. Yes, in the shadow of your wings, I will take refuge, until disaster has passed.
2I cry out to God Most High, to God who accomplishes my requests for me.
3He will send from heaven, and save me, he rebukes the one who is pursuing me. Selah. God will send out his loving kindness and his truth.
4My soul is among lions. I lie among those who are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.
5Be exalted, God, above the heavens! Let your glory be above all the earth!
6They have prepared a net for my steps. My soul is bowed down. They dig a pit before me. They fall into the middle of it themselves. Selah.
7My heart is steadfast, God. My heart is steadfast. I will sing, yes, I will sing praises.
8Wake up, my glory! Wake up, lute and harp! I will wake up the dawn.
9I will give thanks to you, Lord, among the peoples. I will sing praises to you among the nations.
10For your great loving kindness reaches to the heavens, and your truth to the skies.
11Be exalted, God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.
Psalm 58
For the Chief Musician. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A poem by David.
1Do you indeed speak righteousness, silent ones? Do you judge blamelessly, you sons of men?
2No, in your heart you plot injustice. You measure out the violence of your hands on the earth.
3The wicked go astray from the womb. They are wayward as soon as they are born, speaking lies.
4Their poison is like the poison of a snake, like a deaf cobra that stops its ear,
5which doesn’t listen to the voice of charmers, no matter how skillful the charmer may be.
6Break their teeth, God, in their mouth. Break out the great teeth of the young lions, LORD.
7Let them vanish like water that flows away. When they draw the bow, let their arrows be made blunt.
8Let them be like a snail which melts and passes away, like the stillborn child, who has not seen the sun.
9Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns, he will sweep away the green and the burning alike.
10The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance. He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked,
11so that men shall say, “Most certainly there is a reward for the righteous. Most certainly there is a God who judges the earth.”
Psalm 59
For the Chief Musician. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A poem by David, when Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him.
1Deliver me from my enemies, my God. Set me on high from those who rise up against me.
2Deliver me from the workers of iniquity. Save me from the bloodthirsty men.
3For, behold, they lie in wait for my soul. The mighty gather themselves together against me, not for my disobedience, nor for my sin, LORD.
4I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me. Rise up, behold, and help me!
5You, LORD God of Armies, the God of Israel, rouse yourself to punish the nations. Show no mercy to the wicked traitors. Selah.
6They return at evening, howling like dogs, and prowl around the city.
7Behold, they spew with their mouth. Swords are in their lips, “For”, they say, “who hears us?”
8But you, LORD, laugh at them. You scoff at all the nations.
9Oh, my Strength, I watch for you, for God is my high tower.
10My God will go before me with his loving kindness. God will let me look at my enemies in triumph.
11Don’t kill them, or my people may forget. Scatter them by your power, and bring them down, Lord our shield.
12For the sin of their mouth, and the words of their lips, let them be caught in their pride, for the curses and lies which they utter.
13Consume them in wrath. Consume them, and they will be no more. Let them know that God rules in Jacob, to the ends of the earth. Selah.
14At evening let them return. Let them howl like a dog, and go around the city.
15They shall wander up and down for food, and wait all night if they aren’t satisfied.
16But I will sing of your strength. Yes, I will sing aloud of your loving kindness in the morning. For you have been my high tower, a refuge in the day of my distress.
17To you, my strength, I will sing praises. For God is my high tower, the God of my mercy.
Psalm 60
For the Chief Musician. To the tune of “The Lily of the Covenant.” A teaching poem by David, when he fought with Aram Naharaim and with Aram Zobah, and Joab returned, and killed twelve thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt.
1God, you have rejected us. You have broken us down. You have been angry. Restore us, again.
2You have made the land tremble. You have torn it. Mend its fractures, for it quakes.
3You have shown your people hard things. You have made us drink the wine that makes us stagger.
4You have given a banner to those who fear you, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah.
5So that your beloved may be delivered, save with your right hand, and answer us.
6God has spoken from his sanctuary: “I will triumph. I will divide Shechem, and measure out the valley of Succoth.
7Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine. Ephraim also is the defense of my head. Judah is my scepter.
8Moab is my wash basin. I will throw my sandal on Edom. I shout in triumph over Philistia.”
9Who will bring me into the strong city? Who has led me to Edom?
10Haven’t you, God, rejected us? You don’t go out with our armies, God.
11Give us help against the adversary, for the help of man is vain.
12Through God we will do valiantly, for it is he who will tread down our adversaries.
Scripture: World English Bible, Protestant Edition (WEBP) — eBible.org. Public domain. Rights
Reflection
An original reflection from Fall 7 Rise 8 Ministry
"When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you." Psalm 56 does not say "I am never afraid." It says fear becomes the moment trust is chosen. God keeps track of our wanderings and puts our tears in His bottle. He does not lose count of what we have endured.
Psalm 57 was prayed in a cave while David hid from Saul, yet he wakes the dawn with singing. Psalms 58–60 bring injustice and national defeat to God. The safe path is not the absence of shadows; it is walking with God through them toward the morning.
Practice
Each time you feel anxious today, pause and pray the six words of Psalm 56:3.
Prayer
Lord, when I am afraid, I will trust in You. Shelter me in the shadow of Your wings until the storm passes, and let me wake the dawn with praise. Amen.
Study notes
Every Man’s Bible — supplied study notes — From the Every Man’s Bible study notes, as supplied to the ministry. Shown separately from the ministry’s original reflection.
56:1-7
David trusted God to take care of him during a time of great danger. When we are troubled by tempting or dangerous circumstances, we need to turn our lives and our wills over to God. We need to trust his promises. He is able to strengthen us and bring us through such trials.
56:8-13
We can learn a helpful lesson from the psalmist here—we should keep our thoughts focused on God and trust him. We will find, as the psalmist did, that God will strengthen us even during the times when our struggle is most difficult. We, however, must fulfill our responsibilities of being obedient to God’s revealed will. His plan is always best for us in the long run.
57:1-3
We can find comfort in turning to God in times of trouble, for we know that he will surround us with his protection until the storm is past. God cares about us; understanding and acting upon this truth is essential to our spiritual growth.
57:7-11
Here the psalmist demonstrates an important principle: After experiencing God’s help, we need to share it with others. In fact, this should be the natural response of our grateful hearts. This will not only encourage others but also help in our own spiritual growth.
59:1-4
There are times when we will be surrounded by enemies. At those times we must seek God and surrender to his protection. Whenever we face those who oppose us, whether or not we have done them wrong, the best thing we can do is call out to God. He is able to help us; he is our place of refuge.
60:1-5
When God shows his anger because of our sin, we feel both abandoned and overwhelmed. In these times, we need to seek forgiveness and restoration in our relationship with God. We are able to do this through Christ, for his perfect sacrifice has taken away our sins.
60:6-12
David wrote this psalm during a time of war and affirmed that his help came from God alone. We can turn to God for deliverance because he has promised to help us. God reminds us that we still belong to him, no matter how great our failures in the past. He gives us victory if we call upon him to fight our battles.
Keep going
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