I Cry Out To God Most High

Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in you I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.

I cry out to God Most High, to God, who vindicates me. He sends from heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me—God sends forth his love and his faithfulness.

I am in the midst of lions; I am forced to dwell among ravenous beasts—men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.

They spread a net for my feet—I was bowed down in distress. They dug a pit in my path—but they have fallen into it themselves.

My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.

I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.

Psalm 57:1-11

Fear can leave us frozen. We know all the reasons to be afraid – everything that has hurt us in the past, everything that could easily do so again. Sometimes we are stuck – unable to go back; too afraid to move forward.

Terrible things will happen. In our world, hurting people hurt other people, often terribly. Like the psalmist David, we carry our own stories of when evil surrounded us, when, like “ravenous beasts” others wounded us. And so we grieve; we cry out.

But because God is with us, beautiful things can happen too. As we run to Him with our hurts and fears, we find ourselves carried by a love far greater than anyone’s power to harm us, a love so deep it fills the skies. Even when disaster rages around us, His love is a solid refuge where our hearts find healing. Until one day we’ll find ourselves awakening to renewed courage, ready to greet the day with a song of His faithfulness.

God’s love and beauty make us brave.

Our Daily Bread – October 16, 2018