Glorify God in the Midst of Trials (Psalm 57:1-11)
This sermon was preached by Lam Lup Meng.
A very good morning, brothers and sisters in Christ. I am thankful and happy to have the privilege of bringing God’s word to you this morning. We have just concluded our sermon series on the book of Isaiah last week and are about to embark on a series through the book of 2 Thessalonians, starting next Sunday. So, today is a little bit of a breather as we consider Psalm 57 in our time together. All Scripture is God-breathed, and we must rely on His Spirit to help illuminate our hearts. Let us go to God in prayer as we dive into His Word.
S.D.G. Soli Deo Gloria.
If you attended the Reformation Concert last week, or if you were participating in it, you will know that this Latin phrase means “Glory to God Alone”. It was the concert's theme, culminating in the 5 solas or 5 “alones” of the protestant reformation. They are, “sola scriptura (Scripture alone), solus Christus (Christ alone), sola fide (faith alone), sola gratia (grace alone), and soli Deo gloria (glory to God alone).
The concert featured a piece of music by J. S. Bach, who we know penned these letters SDG at the end of all of his compositions. For many serious classical musicians, Bach represents the epitome of music, the standard by which all music will be judged. In fact, many pianists consider his 24 preludes and fugues as almost like the bible of the piano. Any pianist worth his or her salt will need to study and master them, in order to be considered a “proper” musician.
And yet, J.S Bach himself put the letters SDG at the end of his all his music scores. His music was crafted for the glory of God. For Bach, every note, chord, and page of music pointed beyond itself, beyond its human creator, to the Creator. Putting the letters SDG in all of his works was a reminder that all of life is meant for God’s glory. Everything can be used to give him the praise and honour He deserves. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:31 “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Indeed, we are meant to glorify God in all of our lives.
This is captured well in the Westminster shorter catechism. The first question in that catechism is: What is the chief end of man? And the answer — “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.”
What is the glory of God and how do we glorify Him in our lives? Is it even possible to do everything to the glory of God? What about the bad things and trials that we face in our lives? How can that glorify God? How do we enjoy God, even during difficult times?
Well friends, our text today from Psalm 57, I pray, will help us understand how we can glorify Him even when bad things happen.
Before I read the text for us, I would like to bring your attention to the title of the Psalm. It says this right at the beginning, before the first verse: “To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David, when he fled from Saul, in the cave.”
The first part of this seems to be some instruction to the choirmaster to lead the singing of this Psalm (song) to the tune of another song called “Do Not Destroy”. We do not have the tune recorded for us, musical notations were not invented at that time, but it will probably be a somber tune, given the gravity of the situation that the author of this Psalm was in. So we know that the author of this Psalm was David, and this was written when he fled from Saul, in the cave. That is the situation of this Psalm. We will not go there, but the background of this situation that David was in can be found in the book of 1 Samuel.
So we know that David was anointed as King of Israel when he was a teenager. He had just killed Goliath and was put into the limelight immediately. He was anointed as the King of Israel by Samuel the prophet, but there was a problem. Israel’s incumbent King, Saul, was still around. Saul was still in office, so to speak and he had no intentions to step down. In fact, he was increasingly jealous and felt threatened by David because of God’s favour and blessing upon David in all of his military victories. So, through a series of events, Saul started a manhunt for David to remove this threat on his throne. For the next decade or so, David was on the run, trying to avoid capture by Saul. And in 1 Samuel 22 David ends up hiding in a cave and that’s where this Psalm was born.
This forms the background of this Psalm. David was on the run for his life. He was anointed King, but now he’s being hunted by the current King, who did not want to relinquish his throne. David did not ask for the job as a King, it was thrusted to him, and yet he is in this dire situation. So, with that background, let me read the entire Psalm.
I don’t know about you, but I can almost feel the emotion that David is going through in these verses that he wrote. And yet, look at Psalm 57:5 and Psalm 57:11. These are verses that are repeated word for word. — “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!” This verse is repeated twice, giving us the key idea in today’s Psalm. So, God’s glory is at the heart of what David is trying to say here. In the midst of difficulties and trials, instead of looking for immediate relief from the situation, or comfort, David seeks for God to be glorified.
We can Glorify God In the midst of trials.
And that is the main idea of Psalm 57: We can Glorify God In the midst of trials.
We will divide it into 2 sections, each ending with the repeated refrain in Psalm 57:5 and Psalm 57:11.
We can glorify God by trusting in Him and His salvation (Ps 57:1-5)
We can glorify God by resolving to praise Him and make Him known. (Ps 57:6-11)
Before we go on, I think it helps to understand what is the glory of God and what it means to glorify God. Glory means “weight” and also magnificence and splendour. To say that God is glorious means that God is weighty — magnificent in his splendour. Throughout the Bible, God is chiefly concerned about His own glory. In fact He created the universe to display His glory. Psalm 19:1-2 tells us that “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.” And in Romans 1:20, Paul says that “His invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” In other words, God’s glory is seen in His creation. His invisible attributes can be clearly perceived through the creation of the world and in the things that have been made. John Piper defines God’s glory this way: “The glory of God is the infinite beauty and greatness of God’s manifold perfections”.
In other words, the glory of God is the truth and beauty of all of God’s perfections. So, by extension, when we glorify God, we are to live our lives so that we are telling the truth about God and all of His perfections or holiness. We give weight to who God is. We reflect and demonstrate the truth about who God is by the way to live our lives, especially when things get tough. Let us keep this in mind as we go through our text this morning.
We can Glorify God by trusting in Him and His salvation (Ps 57:1-5)
So, how do we glorify God in the midst of trials? The first part of this Psalm tells us that we are to glorify Him by trusting in Him and His salvation. Observe that David’s circumstances are very dire in Psalm 57:4. This is a really bad situation. If you read 1 Samuel, you will know that David was, on a few occasions just a few steps away from losing his life. Not only did he suffer physically from Saul’s attacks on his life, but notice at the end of Psalm 57:4, “whose tongues are sharp as swords”. He was also attacked verbally, slandered, by Saul. These attacks of slander and falsehood are equally as destructive as the physical attacks. In 1 Samuel 18, we read that Saul falsely accused David of treachery by trying to usurp Saul’s throne. In 1 Samuel 22, Saul falsely accused Ahimilech, the priest of being in cahoots with David and that led to the violent killing of 85 priests due to the Sauls’ slander that manipulated public opinion against David.
Now David’s writing this Psalm in a cave in hiding from Saul and his army, probably thinking that “I did not ask for this.” Why am I in this situation? I did not deserve this. I am anointed as King but now I have to escape and run for my life? David’s response in the first 3 verses of this Psalm reflects a deep trust that he has in God whom he knows is a faithful God. In what ways do David’s actions and posture show that He trusts in God and His salvation in the midst of His trial? I think there are 4 observations that we can make here.
First, this trust is reflected in David’s seeking God for refuge.
Look at Psalm 57:1. Notice the repeated words here — “Be merciful” and “take refuge”. David is asking for God’s mercy in the midst of the storm. He is not specifically asking for the storm to stop but taking refuge in God amidst the storm. The image that David is trying to portray here is that of an eagle or a mother hen spreading her wings over her chicks and covering them under her wings. The storm is raging outside, but under the wings of the eagle or the mother hen, the chicks are safe.
Taking refuge in God and under God’s protective wings is a reflection of our trust in who God says He is.
So, how does that glorify God? Taking refuge in God and under God’s protective wings is a reflection of our trust in who God says He is. David is glorifying God by reflecting the truth and beauty of God as a faithful and trustworthy God who will protect and defend those who put their faith in Him.
Secondly, David goes to God in prayer.
Psalm 57:2 says “I cry out to God”. He communes with God as can be seen in Psalm 57:1 as well. Do you ever talk to someone you don’t trust? Why pray if you don’t trust God right? People who are self reliant or proud, do not necessarily pray. The way that David is praying here, shows that he was in a desperate situation and he trusts God to be able to help him in His situation. In the time of his desperate need, David cries out to God
Thirdly, David remembers who God is.
Look at Psalm 57:2, where David says “I cry out to God Most High”. The Hebrew is El-Elyon, translated as God Most High. It reminds us that God is THE Most High God. There is no one like Him, no one greater than Him. He is greater than all the nations and powers on this earth. He is Sovereign over all. El-Elyon! So, David is reminding himself who the object of his trust is. You see, we always say that the object of our faith is more important than our faith. In other words, it is who you trust in that is more important than the trust itself. Here David is reminding himself that this God is sovereign over all.
The second half of Psalm 57:2 says that this God is one “who fulfills his purpose for me”. This is another truth and aspect about God that David is reminding himself again. It is that God has a purpose for him. It means that nothing happens by chance. There is nothing that surprises God and so, even the trials that David is going through is within God’s sovereign control. There is a purpose for everything that happens and we know that ultimately, that purpose is for God’s glory. So, even the trials the David is facing, serves God’s purpose for him.
Lastly, David rests in the hope that God will save him.
In Psalm 57:3, we see that David has full confidence that God will ultimately save him from the trials that he is encountering at that moment. Not only does he know that God is a sovereign God who is in control, even of the trials that he is facing, but he knows that God is a God of Salvation. He will deliver David. Not only that, he knows that God is also a God of justice. In the middle of Psalm 57:3, he says “He, meaning God, will put to shame him who tramples on me”. God will serve justice to those who are evil. God is a righteous and holy God and will not let evil go unpunished. And so, David never takes justice in his own hands. If you read 1 Samuel, you will see how remarkable it is that even when there was an opportunity in the cave of En Gedi to kill Saul, David did not. In Romans 12:19, Paul says, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.””
Indeed, God is glorified through the salvation of His people.
And so in Psalm 57:5, we see that refrain of “Be exalted O God above the Heavens, let Your glory be over all the earth”. Again, David’s circumstances have not changed, but despite that, God’s glory is foremost in his mind. Even through all these trials that he is going through, God has a purpose for it and ultimately that purpose is for God’s glory.
How can we glorify Him by trusting Him and His salvation? We can learn from the 4 things that David does in this Psalm.
Seek God as our refuge. Are we seeking God as our refuge like David did in this Psalm? Do we yearn to be under His wings of protection?When we face difficulties, are we self-reliant to solve our problems, thinking that we got this? Thinking, “I don’t need God.” Friends, God desires for us to be under His wings. He desires for us to depend on Him. In Matthew 23:27, Jesus said this: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”
Friends, are we willing to be gathered under the wings of God? Or when you face trials and difficulties, are you afraid of losing control such that you manipulate and arm twist your way to a positive outcome for you? Or are you angry at your current circumstance? Maybe you withdraw and avoid any contact. Whatever your natural tendencies are, God is asking us to be willing to take refuge under His wings because He is our shield and our protector.
Go to God in prayer. Friends, prayer is the gauge of our trust in God. If we do not feel the need to pray, then it probably means that we do not trust that God is big enough or powerful enough to resolve our difficulties. That is why we encourage members to attend the monthly prayer meeting so we can all express our trust in God together and glorify Him. One practical thing that I find helpful is praying through the Psalms. Maybe in your CGs or alone, pick a Psalm, even this one, Psalm 57 and pray through it verse by verse as it applies to your circumstance. That is a good way to learn to pray biblically as well.
Next, remember who God is and trust in Him that He will save and deliver us. In our trials and difficulties, it is often very easy to lose perspective and forget that we have a God who is sovereign over all. That is why we need to help one another and remind one another about who God is. If you know of someone who is facing a difficult trial, keep a look out and see if we can point them to who God is and remind them about our sovereign God, who is in control of everything and will fulfil His purposes in us, even through the bad things that happen in our lives.
Perhaps the best example of this in the bible about how God uses the evil deeds of man to accomplish good is in the story of Joseph found in Genesis. It is a familiar story where we have Joseph who was the favourite son of Jacob. His brothers were jealous of him because of the favoritism of their father, and so they sold him off as a slave to Egypt. While in Egypt, Joseph, through a series of events rose up to become the second in command to the Pharoah. Years later when famine struck, Joseph’s brothers had to travel to Egypt to buy grain and there they met Joseph. The brothers were so afraid that Joseph might seek revenge against them, but Joseph did not, because he had the right perspective and understanding of what God was doing during his difficult time of trial being sold to slavery in Egypt. Joseph told his brothers in Genesis 50:20, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.“
Because God is God, even the evil deeds and intentions of man can be used by God for the good His purposes. That is why Paul in Romans 8:28 says that “for we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
Paul did not say that all good things will come to those who love God. He is saying all things, good and bad, will work together for good, according to His purpose. And we know that this purpose is to glorify Him. Friends, going through suffering and trials is not easy, and my heartfelt empathy goes out to you. I am not saying that everyone should therefore go and look for suffering and trials so that we can glorify God. But when it comes, know that it is for a purpose.
Joni Eareckson Tada, a famous Christian author and speaker, who at the age of 18 suffered a spinal injury from a diving incident which made her a quadriplegic, unable to walk for the rest of her life. This is the struggle that she faced in coming to terms with the accident and with God, in her own words,
“I just don’t get it! I trusted God before my accident. I wasn’t a bad person. This possibly couldn’t be a punishment for any sin that I’ve done. At least, I hope not. I don’t get it, If God is supposed to be all loving and all powerful, then how, what has happened to me, be a demonstration of His love and power? Because, if He’s all powerful, then surely He should have been powerful enough to stop my accident from happening? If He’s all loving then how in the world can permanent and lifelong paralysis be a part of His loving plan for my life? I just don’t get it! Unless I find some answers, I don’t see how this all loving and all powerful God is worthy of my trust and confidence. Who is in control? Who’s will is this anyway?”
But God finally gave her the answer she was looking for when a friend pointed her to Jesus Christ and His work on the cross. At the moment of Jesus’ betrayal, we can see how God used the evil motivations of Judas, Pontius Pilate and the work of the devil, which led to Jesus’ death on the cross, for the ultimate good of man. God used the evil deeds of man through the betrayal and killing of Jesus Christ to accomplish His plan of salvation for all mankind.
When Joni Eareckson Tada realised that, here is what she said,
“It didn’t take long for me to understand the parallel between what happened at the cross of Christ and my own disability. I began to see that in the accident in which I became paralyzed, Heaven and Hell were participating in the exact same event, but for different reasons. When I took that reckless dive into shallow water that caused me to be a quadriplegic, no doubt , the devil absolutely wrung his hands in delight, thinking to himself, “Aha, I have now shipwrecked this girl’s faith. I have dashed her hopes. I have ruined her family. I have destroyed her dreams and I am going to make a mockery of all her beliefs in God. That, I’m certain, was the devil’s motive. Remember we have an all wise, all powerful, all loving God who reaches down, and when otherwise would be horrible evil, and wrenches out of it positive good for us and glory for Himself. His purpose was to turn a head strong stubborn rebellious kid into a young woman who would reflect something of patience, something of endurance, something of longsuffering.”
Did you hear that last sentence? Patience, endurance, longsuffering — that is the beauty of God’s manifold perfections. That is the glory of God.
Friends, Jesus Christ is God’s promise of salvation. He is the reason we can trust in God and His salvation. God delivered David from the clutches of Saul, and he eventually became King of Israel. In the immediate sense, David’s confidence in God to save him actually came through. But ultimately, the one sent from heaven to save, and God’s steadfast love and faithfulness from Psalm 57:3 of our text, points to Jesus Christ. He was sent from heaven to save us from the clutches of sin and death. No amount of our own self reliance, effort, human ingenuity can save us from the punishment that we deserve because of our sin. Jesus Christ alone is trustworthy because He came and fulfilled all that God set out for Him to do. In our trials and suffering, remember that Christ has already saved us from the ultimate suffering that we will have to endure because of our sin (i.e. eternal separation from God).
For those who are here with us and has not yet received and acknowledged Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour, thank you for coming and spending your Sunday morning here with us. I would like to you consider one thing. The suffering and trials that you face on this earth is nothing compared to the eternal suffering that we will have to face once we leave this earth. The Bible teaches that all of us human beings are made in the image of God and we are meant to reflect God’s glory and display the truth and beauty of His perfection. But we have all chosen to rob God of His glory and rebelled against God. We have chosen to turn our own ways and disobey Him. The Bible calls this sin and no one is innocent. This rebellion against God has alienated us from God and we are destined to spend an eternity without the presence of God. That is the suffering we should be worried about, that is far worse than cancer or loss of job or anything like that. But Jesus Christ has paid the penalty for our sins and reconciled us back to God so that we can have this relationship with God, not by our own works, but purely by what Jesus Christ has done. Friends, we are all not here because we are good people or because we try to be good people. We are here because we acknowledge that we are all sinners and we need Jesus Christ. Otherwise, there is no reconciliation with God. If you are interested in learning more about Jesus Christ, please feel free to approach any of our elders or myself after the service, and we will be glad to speak with you about it.
So, that is the first section of this Psalm. We glorify God in our trials by trusting Him and His salvation. We move on to the second half of the Psalm from Psalm 57:6-11.
We can glorify God by resolving to praise Him and make Him known (Ps 57:6-11)
When we are in a trial or difficult situation, the natural thing for us to do is to focus on the problem and see how it can be resolved. If we are honest, praising God is the furthest thing from our minds when we are in a trial. And yet, Psalm 57:6-11 tells just to do just that. David at this time is still in trouble. He is still in the cave, nothing has changed. Look at Psalm 57:6 — “They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down.”
“My soul was bowed down” gives us the idea that David was carrying a heavy burden. His situation has caused him to be dragged down and there’s a specter of doom laying over his head. But yet he immediately moves into Psalm 57:7. My heart is steadfast. He repeats that statement again, as if to say that he is determined. David has resolved in his mind to sing and make melody, to praise God, despite the circumstances that he is in. He has set his heart and mind to praise Him.
Psalm 57:8 then says “Awake, my glory!” What does my glory here mean? In the ESV, you may see a footnote that is can be translated as “whole being”. The NIV translates this as my soul. The Hebrew word literally means glory, but taken into context, it can be taken to mean our whole being. The Bible says that we are all created in the image of God and that means that we are all built to reflect God’s glory in our whole being. In this case here, David is preaching to himself and admonishing his whole being to wake up. Wake up and do what God has made us all to do. To reflect His glory in our whole being.
Then in Psalm 57:8-10, you see a series of resolutions that David is making, almost like a vow, telling himself that he will do these things. Look at the I will statements here. In Psalm 57:8, “I will sing. I will awake the dawn.” In Psalm 57:9, “I will give thanks, I will sing praises. David is doing this because He knows that circumstances will change, but these resolutions serve as a guidepost and compass to guide him to the right perspective and direction when the storms come. This is like a marriage vow. For those who are married, we know that feelings may ebb and flow, but the truth of God’s word binds us and leads us to the right path whenever the storms of life pass through us.
So you can see here that David is preaching to himself and resolving to praise God, in spite of the circumstance that he is in. But more importantly, Psalm 57:10 tells us why we should praise Him. “For His steadfast love is great to the heavens and His faithfulness to the clouds.” Nothing on this earth can surpass His steadfast love and faithfulness. Indeed no circumstances, however dire they may be on this earth, can outdo the love and faithfulness of God. Paul states this very clearly in Romans 8:38-39, "that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord”.
Indeed His love and faithfulness is great to the heavens and to the clouds. And so, our praise is only dependent on the object of our praise and not on our situation.
Nothing glorifies God more than the reflection of God’s glory among the people who trust in Him during times of greatest difficulty.
And because of this, David aims to declare and make God known among the people and nations. That is David’s desire because he has experienced the steadfast love and faithfulness of God, he wants to tell everyone, despite the persecution and suffering that has befallen him from Saul’s hand. It is no wonder that throughout church history, the period of greatest growth happens when there is the greatest persecution among the believers. Nothing glorifies God more than the reflection of God’s glory among the people who trust in Him during times of greatest difficulty.
So, what does that mean for us, as modern-day believers here at GBC? How do we resolve to praise Him and make Him known?
Friends, do we sometimes succumb to our feelings when we are facing difficulties at work or with a relationship that we avoid coming to church? We withdraw and wallow in our own self-pity. This psalm in fact tells us that it is precisely in those situations that you should come and praise Him. Praise Him among His peoples. So, firstly, resolve to come to church and commune with one another because that’s the truth of God’s command which is unchanging rather than the changing circumstances of our own feelings and our heart.
And then secondly, resolve to come and sing praises with and to one another, so that we can encourage one another in the truth. That is why over the past couple of years, we have been putting an emphasis on congregational singing here at GBC. What does that mean? It means that we want everyone to participate in singing. We want people to be able to hear each other sing so that when we sing praises as a congregation together, we are not only singing praises to God, but we are singing to one another and encouraging each other in the truth. As a song leader, when I am up here sometimes, I can see the effect that singing together has on people. Many come in looking like they would rather be in bed. Their mouths are barely lip-syncing, but by the end of the first couple of songs, they are praising God because they hear the encouragement of other people singing those same truths to one another.
Thirdly, resolve to praise Him in our trials because doing so will put the spotlight on God rather than on us. Putting the spotlight on God allowed David to see the greatness of God and the relative smallness of his own suffering. The life of David the King actually points us to the greater King, Jesus Christ, who also suffered great persecution. He was mocked, betrayed, beaten and crucified. He died and was buried, but on the third day, He rose again from the dead. Jesus’s death and resurrection paved the way for all mankind to be reconciled to God. Because of Christ’s resurrection, we have the hope of salvation as death has been defeated. Praising God in the midst of our trials actually puts the spotlight on the glory of God in Jesus. It points to the hope that we have in Jesus Christ, and no circumstances or trials can deter us from this hope of glory when Jesus returns again.
Friends, are you facing difficult circumstances in your life right now? Maybe it is a difficult boss, a bad relationship, issues with your marriage, or a health crisis. Whatever it is, this Psalm challenges us to look at these difficult trials in a different light. It asks us to consider how these circumstances serve God’s purpose in our lives, which is to glorify Him. How do we live our lives so that the truth and beauty of God’s perfections are displayed? I am by no means suggesting that we do not ask God to relieve us of our discomfort or resolve our current issues, but on top of that, ask Him to show you how you can glorify Him even in the current difficulty. Ask Him to show you how to trust Him more and how to praise Him more despite the circumstances so that we can glorify Him, which is what we are made to do.
Let us pray.