David's Prayer from a Cave

February 7, 2010
Pastor Mike Evans
  

“David’s Prayer from a Cave” 

February 7, 2010 

Psalm 57 

To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy.  A Miktam of David, when he fled from Saul, in the cave.

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,
till the storms of destruction pass by.
2 I cry out 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 him who tramples on me. Selah
God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!

4 My soul is in the midst of lions;
I lie down amid fiery beasts—
the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are 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 way,
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 glory!
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 great to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.

11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth! 

This morning I would like to hold out to you a snapshot of David's life from Psalm 57 and use it as a spring board to evaluate our own responses in times of adversity.  My premise this morning is that David is a worthy model for us to follow.  David's responses and reflexive actions in times of trouble are worth observing and imitating.

As I was reminded this past week from a speaker at the pastors conference, everyone of us is probably in one of three places this morning: 1. We’re either coming out of a great trial. 2. In the midst of a great trial or 3. About to enter into a great trial. 

As we look at Psalm 57 this morning, we need to understand the background from whence David's words come.  As you look at the Psalms you will notice that most of the psalms have a superscription at the beginning. This information tells us the occasion for the psalm. For example, Psalms 56-60 are all referred to as Miktams. They are prayers that David prayed when he was in great danger. 

As the title to Psalm 57 tells us, David wrote this Psalm when he was tucked away deep in a cave, having fled from King Saul who was trying to kill him.  One of the key turning points in David's life before he became the King of Israel was when Saul realized that the Lord was with David, and was no longer with himself (1 Sam.18:28). 

David had been Saul's personal musician, playing the harp for him and comforting him.  David did everything in his power to honor Saul and esteem him. But that all changed as Saul became a bitter, paranoid and godless man.  And so, even though David was Saul's own son-in-law (David married Saul’s daughter Michal), Saul set his face like flint against David. 

First Samuel 18:29 says, "Saul was even more afraid of him (David). So Saul was David’s enemy continually.”  Saul and David were never reconciled. They came close, especially on the two occasions where David had an opportunity to kill Saul, but did not. The first time came in a cave where 1 Samuel 24:3 tells us, "Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave."  

Many of you know of this episode. Saul enters the cave to relieve himself and David snuck up and cut a corner of Saul’s robe off to use as proof that he had been close enough to kill him. In First Samuel 24:8 the text tells us (in a powerful and moving way), “Afterward David also arose and went out of the cave, and called after Saul, ‘My lord the king!’ And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the earth and paid homage.”    

In 1 Samuel 24:16 Saul said to David, "Is this your voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. He said to David, “You are more righteous than I, for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil. And you have declared this day how you have dealt well with me, in that you did not kill me when the LORD put me into your hands.”   

Unfortunately, Saul did not have the kind of sorrow that led to repentance and godliness. He had the kind of sorrow that led to death. And he eventually committed suicide after being mortally wounded in battle. 

Even after Saul's apparently sincere words, however, he continued to pursue David. In 1 Samuel Chapter 26, we see the second occasion where David spared Saul's life. He snuck into Saul's camp at night and stole Saul's spear and water jug. The next day David appeared at a distance once again declaring that he could have killed Saul, but didn't. In verse 21 of 1 Sam 26 Saul says, "I have sinned. Return, my son David, for I will no more do you harm, because my life was precious in your eyes this day. Behold, I have acted foolishly, and have made a great mistake.” 

Yea right Saul!  David knew he was not safe as long as Saul was alive. I Samuel Chapter 27 begins this way, "But David thought to himself, one of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines." 

I give this background only so that you can begin to appreciate and feel the agony David must have felt in those days of relentless pursuit by Saul and his army. It's almost a pathetic sight.   Here is King Saul on the one hand, with his vast armies and riches beyond comparison, owning the proverbial cattle on a thousand hills, but lacking God's anointing.  On the other hand is a humble shepherd boy David, with whom God is powerfully present. 

So here sits David, hidden in the inner recesses of a cave in the middle of nowhere, being pursued relentlessly by a man who is dead set on killing him.  If you have ever known a time in your life when someone was "out to get you," you may have some sense of what David was going through. It was agony. It troubled him constantly.

And yet, in spite of all his bleak and depressing circumstances, we see in David a deep seated joy in God that no army or death threat could take away. One of the differences between David and contemporary Christians is that 3,000 years ago there was no such thing as psychologists or Prozac.    

When the seas of despair and trouble poured in on David's head like a hundred Swiss avalanches, he did what he knew how to do. He wrote.  He shared his innermost thoughts and feelings.  And what we see springing forth from David's mouth and heart is a man who was deeply anchored in God. 

What about you?  What do you do when the storms of life rage? Whether it is some form of physical pain that is constantly with you, some troubling situation you cannot do anything about, or whether it is someone at the office who is out to get you in some way, what is your response?  My exhortation to you this morning is to be like David, and cling to David's God, the one true God who formed you and knew you before even one of your days came to be. 

In Psalm 57 David begins by saying, (v. 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, till the storms of destruction pass by.” Saul had a death wish for David and he was not going to rest until this wish became a reality.  

In verse seven David expresses great confidence in God. "My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody!" Then, in the next verse he says, "Awake, my glory!  Awake, O harp and lyre!  I will awaken the dawn!" 

There are times when we need to talk directly to our souls. David did it often. In another Psalm he said, "Bless the Lord, O my soul and all that is within me." 'Come on soul, bless the Lord!' It's the same in verse 8-9. David knew his soul was getting a little sleepy and lazy and discouraged, so he says, "Awake my glory, Awake harp and lyre. I will awaken the dawn." There is little that is worse in this life than an anesthetized soul. Sleepy…groggy souls.  

In as much as we are able, we should not enter into the worship of the Lord on Sunday morning with tired bodies, hearts, and minds. Some things are beyond our control, like babies, or the night shift, or any number of other things. But we must seek to give the Lord our best! 

If that means reserving Saturday night just for family, so be it. Do not give to the Lord from the dregs (leftovers) of your soul.  Worship the Lord in gladness and with a keen mind and expectant heart and a well rested body.

This morning I want you to see that in spite of, and even in the middle of, David's troubles he wrote verses 9-11. "I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to Thee among the nations. For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, Let your glory be over all the earth." 

For the rest of our time together this morning I want to unfold with you three pillars of David's God-centered prayer in Psalm 57:9-11. 

Keep in mind that each of the three pillars of David's God-centered prayer is written from the inner recesses of a cave as his life hangs in the balance.   The first pillar of David's God-centered prayer is Thankfulness and Praise.   David writes in verse 9, "I will give thanks to you, 0 Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations." 

Even in the midst of the deepest turmoil of David's life up to that point, he says, "I will give thanks to you, 0 Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations."   In the cool and dark recesses of a cave, with his life in the balance, David utters forth these amazing words of strength and conviction. "O Lord, I will give thanks to you among the peoples...I will sing praises to you among the nations..." 

David is a good model for Christians to emulate when we're in trouble. He was not a perfect man, but he was a good repenter, being willing to own up to the fact that he was a sinner and (Ps.51) taking full responsibility for it.  

Oh! we dare not be mistaken as we consider the greatness and effect of David’s sin of  adultery and murder. After David repented of his sin, he then sought to move on as best he could in the opposite direction from that sin.  This is what repentance is. 

David was also good at something else. He was quick to praise the Lord. But the thing I want to point out from verse nine is David's missionary spirit that shines forth when he gives thanks and praise to God, "among all peoples, among all the nations." (synonyms)

The "all nations" part is pretty remarkable.  You see, the ordinary Jew in David's day would never wish a Gentile dog like you and me to hear about the Lord. But David is a man after God's own heart and therefore he has a heart for all nations.

In Rev. 5:9 we see just what kind of heart God has for the nations when the Apostle John writes, "Worthy are you (the Lamb, Jesus) to take the scroll and open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation…”    

Jesus did not just die for Americans with a Scandinavian, English, Dutch or German descent. He died for people from every tribe, language, people and nation...people who when approached with the Good News of salvation in Christ alone will trust in Him. 

In Acts 18:10 we see the words that the Lord Jesus spoke to Paul in a dream. "Do not be afraid ... For I am with you ... and I have many people in this city." That was a motivator for Paul.  Jesus had many people in Corinth. They simply needed to hear the gospel preached. Remember, faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.  

This is what propelled Cameron Townsend the founder of Wycliffe Bible Translators to begin a quest for translating the Bible into every language on the planet. Townsend was interested in Missions and found himself in Guatemala when a man came up to him on the street one day and asked him the following question, “If your God is so great, why doesn’t he even know how to speak our language?” That’s all the impetus Townsend needed to propel him headlong into the pursuit of making the words of God known to all peoples. 

In the middle of his own grief and trouble and turmoil, the heart of God pours forth from the heart of David, "O God, I will give thanks to you among the peoples...I will sing praises to you among the nations.  “You see, I believe David had a missionary heart for all the nations and peoples of the earth to worship the Lord, to give thanks to Him, and to sing praises to His name. 

Inside of David there was a passion to spread the knowledge of the glory and fame of God to the ends of the known earth. David's heart was ablaze for God and the spreading of His kingdom. He longed to see all the peoples of the earth worshiping the Lord in gladness.

It had to be a fire in his soul. How else could these words spring forth from his lips in one of his darkest hours?  Do you know why?  They sprang forth from his soul because that's who he was. 

It is in the trials of life that God, in His providence, allows or brings, that we see what we are really made of.   During the darkest hour of my ordeal this past year after the second  surgery (brain surgery followed two weeks later by emergency open heart surgery…and 46 days in Rochester, MN) as I laid there in the bed unable to move the right side of my body or speak much at all, I tell you here and now that I had no particularly great and grand thoughts of God during those dark hours. I just felt myself in a cocoon of protection. I was tucked safely inside the walls of Romans 8:28 (God causes all things to work together for good to those who love him and are called according to his purpose) where nothing could harm me.   

When we are in despair, do we cry out to God, thanking Him and singing songs of praise, or do we settle for some shallow soul numbing substitute like T.V. or food or a clothes splurge to numb us to the reality of the pain and despair and dare I say our own faithlessness? 

In Ephesians 2:15 Paul is speaking of unity in the body of Christ when he says that "we must in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is Christ." Sometimes the up is down…suspend the laws of gravity for a moment. Part of "growing up" in Christ, I humbly submit to you, is learning how to deal with adversity and trials.  Now there are different intensities of trials and adversities. But no matter what comes our way in life or by way of death, we must seek to honor God through it and in it. 

I suggest to you today that David is a good model for us.  Even in an incredibly tense and dangerous situation, he wasn't primarily concerned about himself.  His heart was at rest "in the shadow of Thy wings" (v. 1). His cry was to God, who, according to verse 2 accomplishes all things for me."  And his vision for God's glory to be spread to all people's and nations shines forth even in the midst of his personal turmoil. 

The Second pillar of David's God-centered prayer is found in verse 10, the lovingkindness and mercy of God. "For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, and your faithfulness to the clouds." This is the ground or foundation of David's giving thanks and praise to God among all the nations... the fact that God's faithfulness and his lovingkindness and mercy is great to the heavens. 

You have to realize that the nation of Israel did not see itself as a missionary society. So for David to show this kind of heart for all people is unusual. He wants the nations to know that God's lovingkindness is great to the heavens. David wants the nations to know that God is full of mercy and faithfulness. 

The Hebrew word for "steadfast love" is hesed, which can also be translated as lovingkindness.”  It means kindness and mercy. My friends, God is rich in mercy and love and forgiveness. And David loves to tell of (and sing of) this kindness and mercy of God...it is great to the heavens.  

The kindness and mercy of God is a tall mountain of hope that hovers over the greatest sins of men, if only we will look to him alone for salvation. And even as believers in Christ who still sin, that tall mountain of hope is still there unchanged. But we must repent of our sins. 

If you are here today listening to these words, or perhaps not listening to these words because your mind is preoccupied with other thoughts, then listen at least to these words: The kindness and mercy of God is a tall mountain of hope that towers over the greatest sins of men.  If you are stuck in a rut of despair, look up! Look up and see the steadfast lovingkindness of our God that is great to the heavens. Look up and be forgiven! Look up and live! The steadfast love of God is Good News…It is really good news and David wants all people to know of it.

The third and final pillar of David's God-centered prayer is verse 10, his plea for God to "Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!  Let your glory be over all the earth." Even though David is being pursued by King Saul and his armies, what is in his heart still shines forth, and that is a passionate God-centeredness for God to be glorified and for His glory to be over all the earth." 

I have been a Christian for 29 years now.   Over the course of these 29 years I have quietly observed how both I and my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ deal with crisis, pain, and trauma.  I’ve noticed that people tend to respond in one of three ways: 1. Some struggle deeply with thoughts of even the existence of God in times of extreme adversity. 2. Others blame God and speak to Him as if he were an equal, as if the clay has a right to bring any charge against the potter!  3. Others sink into deep depression and despair.  4. Still others let their theology that was deeply embedded into their souls be their guide even when the storms of life passed by. Still others respond with some combination of the above. 

For believers whose hearts are hard and ungrateful (yes I believe it's possible), even when God shines forth in the preaching of the Word or in blessings that are obvious to everyone but them, they see only occasional raindrops of God's mercy. But for a man like David, who had a grateful heart, even in the midst of the storm he sees a downpour of God's mercy and steadfast love. 

I heard a saying once, I don't know who said it, but it went like this: "Two men looked out through a prison gate. One saw bars, the other saw stars."  What is it that you see when you look through the lens of suffering and difficulty, trials and tribulations?  

Perhaps, like David, you find yourself in the cave this very morning hiding from someone or something that is pursuing you. Perhaps you feel weary and worn out, a mere hair’s breadth from just giving up.   What is your attitude? Where is your heart? James said, "Cast all your anxieties on Him for he cares for you." 

The final sentence of Psalm 57 is one of the most glorious phrases David ever penned.

"Let your glory be over all the earth." Again we come back to David's passion for all peoples and all nations to know of the glory of God. David's passion for the glory of God to be spread to all peoples must be the motivating force behind evangelistic and missionary efforts of the local church.

If God's people have an earnestness in their hearts to see the glory of God spread to all peoples it is because they themselves first have a passion for God in their own ... even in those times when they are hiding in the deep recesses of a cave from their enemies. Let me say it another way: If our passion for God is weak our zeal for evangelism and missions will also be weak.  If our passion for God is strong then our zeal for evangelism and missions will also be strong. One necessarily follows the other! Zeal for evangelism and missions always flow from people who are zealous with a passion to spread the supremacy of God to all nations.

I guess what I am trying to say is that stress and troubles and pain and suffering and the Sauls of your life cannot change who you are. The kinds of troubles David had merely intensified what was already in his heart. Do you know what I mean? I like Hamburger Helper. I grew up on the stuff. But let me tell you, that stuff tastes like a gourmet meal when you're sitting in camp at nearly 11,000 feet in the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming after a day of serious backpacking. If we are really trusting in the Lord with all our hearts, then no matter what happens, we will find our way back (sooner or later) to the refuge and "shadow of God's wings" as David puts it. 

Regardless of whether you are hiding in the cave like David this morning, or whether your cup is overflowing, may you have the eternal perspective of David whose heart was 1. To give thanks and praise to the Lord among all the peoples,  2. To proclaim the lovingkindness and mercy of God, and 3. To plead for God's glory to be over all the earth. Amen.

"When you are the neediest, He is the most sufficient.

When you are completely helpless, He is the most helpful.

When you feel totally dependent, He is absolutely dependable.

When you are the weakest, He is the most able.

When you are the most alone, He is intimately present.

When you feel you are the least, He is the greatest.

When you feel the most useless, He is preparing you.

When it is the darkest, He is the only Light you need.

When you feel the least secure, He is your Rock and Fortress.

When you are the most humble, He is most gracious.

When you can't, He can." (Source unknown).