Sometimes I have trouble putting my thoughts or feelings into words. Typically, though, if I ponder awhile, I’m able to say or write words that convey exactly what is going on in my head. When that happens, it’s very satisfying.

The other evening I was experiencing some physical challenges that, though not debilitating, were definitely distracting. (Why is it the devil likes especially to poke at you when you’re worshipping the Lord or listening to a fantastic message?) I was getting “poked” as I determinedly kept my focus on the Lord. That night I was too sleepy and the next day too busy to do much pondering about this. But I knew that soon I would need to lay it all before the Lord and ask the Holy Spirit to show me what this was all about, and what exactly those uneasy feelings had been that I hadn’t yet even taken a moment to label.

Within one or two days I was reading my Bible and came across one of David’s beautiful psalms. It said to the Lord exactly what I hadn’t yet even taken the time to try and put into words! I wrote in my journal: “This has declared to the Lord what is in my heart. It has instructed me…God is on the throne! My heart trusts Him and I am hiding in His shadow.”  What was it that I had just read? Psalm 57.

1 Be gracious to me, God, be gracious to me, for I take refuge in You. I will seek refuge in the shadow of Your wings until danger passes.

2 I call to God Most High, to God who fulfills [His purpose] for me.

3 He reaches down from heaven and saves me, challenging the one who tramples me. Selah God sends His faithful love and truth.

4 I am in the midst of lions; I lie down with those who devour men. Their teeth are spears and arrows; their tongues are sharp swords.

5 God, be exalted above the heavens; let Your glory be above the whole earth.

6 They prepared a net for my steps; I was downcast. They dug a pit ahead of me, but they fell into it! Selah

7 My heart is confident, God, my heart is confident. I will sing; I will sing praises.

8 Wake up, my soul! Wake up, harp and lyre! I will wake up the dawn.

9 I will praise You, Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations.

10 For Your faithful love is as high as the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

11 God, be exalted above the heavens; let Your glory be over the whole earth.

What was David’s challenge when he wrote that psalm? People issues! One “people”, to be exact. King Saul was in hot pursuit of him, determined to end David’s life! As I read the psalm, my challenge was physical rather than about people, yet his words ministered exactly what my heart needed. I think they might mirror many hearts in troubling times. The psalm encourages me:

*To take refuge in the shadow of God’s wings

*To call to God!

*That God will save me and HE will challenge my opponent

*That God’s faithful love is oh-so-much greater than my problem

I love how while David was spelling out for the Lord just exactly how it felt to be him right then, i.e. “…I lie down among devouring lions — people whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords”…) he interrupted his lament over and over again to tell the Lord how great He is, how much he trusted Him, and how confident he was that God would rescue him. He refused to allow his soul to sink into the miry clay of hopelessness.

He also recorded how he had decided to handle the situation. “I will sing; I will sing praises. Wake up, my soul! Wake up, harp and lyre!” My favorite part was when he announced to himself that he had decided to wake up the dawn!

Interesting idea, don’t you think? My imagination tells me that if the dawn hadn’t woken up yet, David must have felt like he was experiencing a never-ending nighttime. David decided he would play his harp and lyre and loudly sing until dawn got out of bed! He wasn’t going to wait for the dark night of his trouble to finally become dawn before he praised His faithful God. He would praise before his heart felt the warmth of sunrise. He would trust before he saw the break of day, because he knew his God, and had no doubt that dawn would come. Running from the king day after day, hiding in caves hoping he wouldn’t be discovered, David must have felt desperate to awaken from his nightmare. But he had decided that he wouldn’t wait for the dawn to wake him…rather, he would give God praise and awaken the dawn!

I believe we can do that. Don’t you think that’s what Paul and Silas were doing as they sang praises in the darkness of the Philippian jail? (Acts 16:16-40) Their praises awakened the dawn with a God-sent earthquake!

Lord, I’m saying to you right now that I won’t wait for the dawn before I declare my trust and sing my praise to You. I have learned that my soul can’t stay dark when I’ve switched on the light of Your word through my praises. If I’m blissfully slumbering without a care in the world, I need neither comfort nor dawn. But in those care-filled seasons, when the devil pokes and pesters, You’ve invited me to cast my cares on You. And because of Your peace and faithfulness, I will praise You even in the night. Yes, my praise will wake up the dawn! For like David, my confidence is in You.