LANGUAGE:
Thanksgiving, An Expression of Confidence
(Psalm 57)
I invite you take your Bibles and turn with me to Psalm 57.
In 1976 Elizabeth Elliot, at the Urbana Missions Conference,[i] told of being in Wales watching a shepherd and his dog. She watched the dog herd the sheep up a ramp into a tank of antiseptic where they were bathed against parasites. As soon as the sheep came out of the tank, the shepherd would grab the rams by their horns and then fling them back into the tank and hold them under the antiseptic for a few more seconds. As she watched, Mrs. Elliot turned to the shepherd’s wife and asked her if she thought the sheep understood what was happening. The wife responded: “They haven’t got a clue.”
Mrs. Elliot then reminisce, “I’ve had some experiences in my life like those poor rams, where I couldn’t figure out any reason for the treatment I was getting from the Shepherd I trusted. He gave me no hint or explanation” for the hardships that I was going through. [ii]
If you’ve been a Jesus follower for very long, you know exactly what Elizabeth Elliot was taking about. There are times we hit a life snag, and have no explanation from our Shepherd as to why it was there. In the time allotted to me, I want us to focus on the thyme--thanksgiving as an expression of confidence in the midst of hardship, fear, anxiety, suffering and distress.
Let’s pray: Heavenly Father, as we turn to your book, the Bible, the Sword of the Spirit, I ask that the Spirit of God open our minds and give us understanding to the glory of Christ in whose name we pray. Amen.
Well, if you haven’t figured it out, our world is in almost absolute turmoil. There is a growing inner uneasiness that is corrupting our relationships, our self-worth and our convictions, creating a sinking feeling of hopelessness. We are being called to collectively act on global challenges, violent acts of racism, discrimination and injustices. The turmoil seems to be taking control of our private lives. There is a growing cry for peace, but there is no peace to be had.
What I find surprising is that in the midst of the turmoil, God calls for us to live with thankful hearts.
With the growing possibility of an economic crash, lay-offs, crippling fuel shortages, food prices going out of control,[iii] growing concern over global droughts, pending Yellowstone volcanic eruption, earthquakes and fires, and we might be asking, what’s there to be thankful? How can one be thankful when our world seems to be heading for a crash landing.[iv]
As I pondered these things I came across something that King David wrote in his journal. It’s found in Psalm 57. You might be interested in knowing that he wrote this while he was on the run for his very life. His world was in turmoil. It wasn’t just a bump in the road, it was a potential end of life moment.
As we look at the page he wrote that day, you’ll notice that David title’s it, A Miktam of David,[v] when he fled from Saul, in the cave. I take that to imply that this event finds its roots in 1 Samuel 24. David is on the run for his life, and now finds himself hiding in a cave in the wilderness of Engedi with a few hundred men.
King Saul was in hot pursuit with 3,000 chosen fighting men. His intent was to capture David and kill him. He burned with jealousy, in part because David was an effective warrior and very popular. [vi] But perhaps more than that, he was irritated that God had anointed David as king in his place, and had placed His blessing him. Saul has been on the hunt for David for some time, and is now closing in on him. We pick up the story in 1 Samuel 24. Saul came to some sheep pens where there was a cave, and he went in to use it as a bathroom (By the way, I didn’t make that up. That is what the text actually says). ‘And as it would be’, David and his men were huddling far back in the same cave.[vii] He is cornered--a click of a sword, a sneeze, a cough, and his life was over. Talk about fear and anxiety. His life is hanging by a thread. There’s no escaping.
In vs4 and 6 David describes his predicament in metaphorical language—V4, I find myself in a pride of lions who are wild for a taste of human flesh; He describes his metaphorical lions as having teeth like lances and arrows, tongues ‘like’ sharp daggers. 6They booby-trapped ‘his’ path; he was sure he was dead and done for. They’ve dug a man-trap to catch me . . .
His description of lions wanting a taste of human flesh reminds me of a true story entitled The Man Eating Lions of Tsavo. The British were building a bridge over the Tsavo River in Kenya. During the construction two lions would sneak in during the heat of the night and drag workers off to their cave. By the end of nine months 135 people were killed. [viii] Like these lions, Saul wanted to rip David apart. David likens their words and actions like spears, arrows, and swords. His world was crumbling.
Now caught in the dark recesses of the cave, he is sweating anxiety. V1, He cries out to God, Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me. Hide me in the shadow of Your wings until destruction passes by.[ix] It’s a scene of darkness, fear, and anxiety. His life was on the edge, and he cries out to God to shelter him until the destruction passes.
Peggy Joyce Ruth writes: My husband and I live in the country. One spring I was watching our old mother hen, her little chicks scattered all over the yard. Suddenly I saw the shadow of a hawk overhead. What happened next I will never forget. The mother hen didn’t run all over the barnyard attempting to hid them with her wings. Instead she squatted down, spread her wings and began to squawk. Those little chicks came running from every direction, and then ducked under those outstretched wings. She then pulled her wings down tight, tucking every little chick safely under her. There was no way that hawk could get those chicks without going through that mother hen.[x]
And so David, sweating anxiety bullets, and crouching in fear, cries out to God to hide him and his men until Saul’s destructive army had moved on.
If you are taking notes, write this down: The predicament that David found himself in was not of his doing, it came . . . listen to me carefully . . . it came because of the call of God on his life. We don’t want to gloss over this--the anxiety and fear of the moment came as a result of his obedience to God’s call. In the trauma of the moment we are given a deep, authentic grasp of the watchfulness of God.
Listen to me carefully: If we constantly choose the path of safety, comfort, and security instead of obedience to God’s call, our faith will grow thin, we’ll become worldly, and our faith will lose its vigor. James 1:3–5 3 Know that under pressure, your faith-life is ‘going to be’ forced into the open and show its true colors. … 4 So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. [xi]
In the midst of his fear David acknowledges his need for God’s mercy and protection. That’s essential if God’s blessing is going to be on our lives. And make a note of this: it is out of turmoil's of life that true powerful worship of God grows.
David’s world is about to crumble. He can see his enemy in the light of the cave, armed soldiers everywhere. His gut is in turmoil, and yet there is a confidence like no other. In the midst of anxiety and fear David says, 2 I will call to God Most High, to the God who does everything for me. 3 He sends his help from heaven and saves me. He disgraces the one who is harassing me. God will send His lovingkindness and His truth! Did you hear what David said? Sweat dripping from his armpits, he makes this powerful statement: I will cry to the God Most High, to God who accomplishes for me. Did you hear that? I will cry to the God Most High, to God who accomplishes for me.
Literally David wrote: to God who completes or finishes for me.[xii] Folks, we need to hear those words. David believes God will work for him, that God has a purpose for him, and that God will finishes what He has started. In the midst of clammy hands, sweat running down his sides, he knows that God is for him, and not against him. So Paul writes for us in Philippians 1:6 (GW) I’m convinced that God, who began this good work in you, will carry it through to completion on the day of Christ Jesus. That’s hope in the midst of fear, anxiety, despair, trauma.
Hear me: we cannot really worship God unless we believe He is for us, and that He will win in spite of it all-- our fears, despairs, anxieties and traumas.
Don’t miss v5. It is in the midst of despairing for his life he bursts into a doxology of praise Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! V7, My heart is steadfast . . . therefore I will sing, yes, I will sing praises! In the midst of his darkness, David breaks forth in a song of celebration.
Michael Milton writes: Believers who hide themselves in the Promises of God will sing a doxology in the darkness! They give thanks in the midst of the storm! This is not a callous Stoicism; this is a vibrant faith in the living God who infects our whole being. This is exactly what happened with Paul and Silas in Acts 16. Beaten and thrown into the inner prison, feet fastened in stocks . . . they breakout singing hymns of praise to God. [xiii]
If you are taking notes, write this down: In the midst of our fears, our despairs, our anxieties and our traumas God’s glory should be upper most in our minds.
What does it mean to glorify God? We are given some understanding in Romans 1:21 (GW) although they knew God, they did not praise and thank him for being God. Instead, they became foolish in their thoughts, and their misguided minds were plunged into darkness. The point is, for them God had no deep-down value or worth. To glorify God means to ascribe honor and praise to Him for who He is and for what He has done. It means to speak of His wonders, to exalt Him in the midst of the flow of life. 1 Corinthians 10:31 (GW) whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything to the glory of God. The point is, in whatever circumstances we find ourselves--good, bad, indifferent—we are called to focus on the character God, letting Him shine brightly in a world swirling in darkness, fear, despair, sorrow, and trauma.
Make a note of this: It is in the midst of pending doom that David breaks out in praise to God. Believing God is there, and despite his possible demise, David, knowing God has got this, writes v9(GW) I will give thanks to you among the people, O Lord. I will sing praises to you among the nations.
As we read David’s journal, we need to keep in mind that God’s power and glory are not abstract theological ideologies. It is a reality that is to be experienced in the flow of our lives. – To glorify God is to honor Him as God with a thankful heart no matter our circumstances.
Bethany Verrett writes: Being thankful is a complicated state of being. It runs counter to our natural instincts. When life is good, and someone is getting what they want, it is easy to be thankful. When life is hard, and nothing goes right, it is hard to have a spirit of gratitude.[xiv] If we are going through difficulty, focusing on yourself and your problems is a sure way to remain ungrateful, angry, and bitter. Psalm 57 teaches us that having a thankful attitude is an expression of confidence in our God who is there in the midst of hardship, fear, anxiety, suffering and distress. Being thankful can be a stretch when the horizon is muddy and murky. But having a heart like when David was in a cave can bring surety to our footsteps, and an overcoming confidence.
Let’s close with 3 principles for having a thankful attitude during times of hardship, suffering and distress when fear and anxiety tend to put the squeeze on us.
I find vs2-3 to be a powerful reminder of God’s sovereign care. David writes, I will cry to God Most High, To God who accomplishes all things for me. He will send from heaven and save me. The Hebrew Word for accomplish means to bring to an end; to complete. What we have here is a reminder that it is the character of God to "complete" what He has started.[xv] David was in this awful predicament, not because something he did, but because of something God did. His predicament was a God predicament.
If you are taking notes, write this down: God never gets it wrong. He doesn't swing and miss. He doesn’t start a project and quit. Every detail of our days comes through the blueprints of His meticulous care for us. Paul tells us in Philippians 1:6 (NASB95) I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. When all hope seems lost we need to lean into the fact that God is the one “who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist” (Romans 4:17), and He will do that for you and for me.
Not only is God flawlessly at work for our good, but He doesn't let go until He’s finished. God’s care never dries up or fizzles out. He finishes what He starts. Psalm 115:3, “He does all that He pleases,”; Job 42:2, His purposes cannot be thwarted,”; Daniel 4:35 “none can stay His hand”. That’s why David writes in v7, My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast.
Hearts that are steadfast are hearts that trust no matter what’s going on, and can sing praises, and give thanks to God among the people. To have a heart that is steadfast is to lean into God, knowing that He will accomplish all things for us. He could lean into his God who accomplishes all things because he knew God had a purpose, and would fulfill it. Listen carefully: Hard times have a God purpose. And He will not be frustrated or derailed.
What grips David is that his God is in the throes of fulfilling His purposes for him. We need to lean into the purposes of God for our lives. We get a glimpse of God's purposes for us in James 1:2–4 (NASB95) 2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. … 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Don’t miss this: in Psalm 57 God was using Saul’s madness to anchor David’s faith in His promises. When life is spinning in madness, each spin is to anchor your faith in the promises of God. So when we suffer, when we are in danger, when it seems that we are prevented from serving God as we would like, like David we cry out to God. But we need not worry that God will leave us hanging. That can’t happen. It won’t happen. For God is in complete control. He will fulfill His purpose for you. What He began He will perfect in you until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6)
Vs9-10 (ESV) David writes, 9I 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. David wants all the people (those who know God and those who don’t know God) to hear his praises. Despite being in fear for his life, he wants to sing about the faithfulness of God so that others will glorify God.
In giving praise David expresses two aspects of God’s goodness—V3 and v10, His lovingkindness and His truth, or faithfulness. It is important that we focus our praises on God’s loyal love and faithfulness in fearful and despairing times. It is precisely those God qualities that Satan will tempt us to doubt with thoughts such as “If God loves me, why is this happening to me?” When those times come, hear David’s voice come from the dark recesses of the cave, buttressed by his enemies, singing “God, Your lovingkindness is great to the heavens and Your truth to the clouds! Be exalted above the heavens, O God; let Your glory be above all the earth.”[xvi]
In his darkest hour, when all seemed lost, the word of praise slips from his lips. Praising the name and works of Jehovah God in the midst of people groups is one way we fulfill our calling as beacons of hope so that they may know the salvation of our God.
C. Third, To Exalt God is a Matter of Making a Deliberate Choice
David concludes his journal with these powerful words: Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! This is the second time in his journal that David lifts his voice to exalt God above the heavens, that His glory be over all the earth. With his back against the wet walls of the cave, Saul and his 3000 armed men standing at the entrance, a song swells up in David’s heart, a song of exalting God slips from his tightly clenched lips: “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.” It is an acknowledgement that God is sovereign over all He has made, and can be known.[xvii]
To fight off despairing anxiety and fear, this is a good place to begin—an acknowledgement that God is absolutely God. I love how John Piper lays it out for us: There’s no negotiation going on here at all. We don’t negotiate with God. He is absolute reality. We are defined; he is definer. We are dependent; he is totally independent. Our being comes into being; His being has always been, as inconceivable and glorious as that is. We begin here. This is a place of reverence and humility and lowliness. We face life’s turmoil’s during this thanksgiving season by saying, “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.”[xviii]
When we lift our voices in corporate praise, there should be no mumbling. Our voices should tell the people around that our lives are consumed by God.[xix] For example, in the book Worship: The Ultimate Priority, by John MacArthur, comes the story of a Jewish woman on her way to her synagogue one Sunday morning for counsel because her marriage was breaking up. Upon arrival she was told that they couldn’t counsel her until she had paid her dues. Upset by this, she left. As she drove away she got caught in the crowd on their way to Grace Community Church. For whatever reason, she ended up attending that morning. She was so overwhelmed with the atmosphere of worship that she trusted Christ as her Savior and was baptized a few weeks later.
But what I find interesting is what she later told MacArthur. She told him that she couldn’t remember much about his sermon that day, but she was absolutely in awe of the joy, peace, love and praise that oozed from the people as they worshiped. She had never seen anything like it. Their exaltation of God had prompted her to call out to God for salvation.[xx]
So today I ask, what is your focus or aim in life, especially in a time of difficulties? Is your aim your happiness, escaping as quickly as you can from your pain? That’s what those in the world live for. However, if your aim is to glorify and exalt God by trusting and praising Him even in the midst of trials, you’ve found God’s purpose for your life. This is glorious. And it can be yours today. How? In the same way that David found it: by faith in David’s son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Putting our faith in Jesus Christ lifts out of the pits of despair and gives us a song to sing, a song of praise to our God.
Let’s close in prayer-- Lord, I know that there are many people here who are going through struggles and pressures, dangers and trials. How our hearts long to cry out to you to deliver us from them, to take them away, to not let us go through them. May we rather learn, Lord, that wonderful attitude of our Lord Jesus, "If it be possible, may this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done." May we lean into the sovereign care of our God. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.
[i]
Fred Sanders, Today Jim Elliot Was Killed (1956),
https://scriptoriumdaily.com/today-jim-elliot-was-killed-1956/. On January 8th, 1956, five young men were killed by the Auca Indians in Ecuador. The one most remembered of the group is Jim Elliot whose legacy continues because of what he wrote in his journal in 1949 “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” While the other four men on the team (Nate Saint, Ed McCully, Peter Fleming, and Roger Youderian) were all important to the work and have all received commemoration and attention (they all have Wikipedia pages, if that’s a good index of status in 2009), Elliot has somehow stood out from the group. Why? It may be that Elliot had that certain something as part of his personality, a charisma or magnetism or star power. But I think there’s another reason: Jim Elliot and his widow Elisabeth were unusually articulate. They had words on the tips of their tongues and were able to give a compelling account of why they were doing what they were doing.
[ii] Steven Cole, Psalm 57, Singing In The Cave, https://bible.org/seriespage/psalm-57-singing-cave
[iii] Michael, A Major Food Crisis Coming in 2023? “Prices Will Be On Steroids After The Election” http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/a-major-food-crisis-coming-in-2023-prices-will-be-on-steroids-after-the-election/
[iv] Vivian Bricker, Wars and Rumors of Wars: A Present-Day Look, https://www.ibelieve.com/faith/wars-and-rumors-of-wars-a-present-day-look.htmlEver since 2020, it seems the world has been hit by disaster after disaster. For the past several years, the world has been struggling through the coronavirus pandemic, which has caused many fatalities. Now, as of February 24, 2022, Russia has declared war on Ukraine. It is thought that the Russian invasion of Ukraine is the worst war to befall Europe since the end of World War II. Many people believe the war in Ukraine marks a new age of “authoritarianism,” which could possibly stretch across Europe and extend further into other nations (David Leonhardt, “Why Ukraine Is Different,” The New York Times, 2022). Many are speculating that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could be the start of World War III;
[v] Marvin E. Tate, Psalms 51–100, vol. 20, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1998), 77. The expression al-tashhieth, “do not destroy,” is also found in the titles of Pss 58; 59; 75. It may be linked to Deut 9:26: “And I [Moses] prayed to the Lord, “O Lord, God, destroy not [אל תשׁחת] thy people.” Isa 65:8 reference may provide the key for the obscure expression:
As the wine is found in the cluster,
and they say, “Do not destroy it
for there is a blessing in it,”
so will I do for my servants’ sake.
The “do not destroy it” expression seems to have been a popular saying or proverb which reflected the idea of a vineyard keeper refusing to destroy grapevines when the first clusters of grapes were bad. The vines still had the blessing of life in them and a potential for future production. Like the vines, Israel had brought forth grapes worthy of destruction, but Yahweh would not destroy Israel because she still contained a blessing (cf. Isa 28:23–28). If this is the case, the expression is appropriate for the psalms to which it was applied (cf. Mowinckel, PIW, II, 215).
[vi] 1 Samuel 18:7 (NASB95) The women sang as they played, and said, “Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands.”
[vii] 1 Samuel 24:3 (NASB95) He came to the sheepfolds on the way, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the inner recesses of the cave.
[viii] Tsavo Lions:P The Man-Eating Lions, https://safarisafricana.com/tsavo-lions-man-eaters/
[ix] Cf., Psalm 17:8 (NASB95) Keep me as the apple of the eye; Hide me in the shadow of Your wings; Psalm 36:7 (NASB95) How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.; Psalm 63:7 (NASB95) 7 for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. Marvin E. Tate, Psalms 51–100, vol. 20, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1998), 77. very likely that there is a more direct reference to the symbolism of the cherub wings so strongly associated with the temple in Jerusalem (see 1 Kgs 6:23–28; 8:6–7). If there is an allusion to the cherubim in the expression “under the shadow of your wings,” it refers to the outspread wings which were conceptualized as bearing the throne of God (1 Sam 4:4; 2 Sam 6:2; 2 Kgs 19:15; Isa 37:16; Lev 16:21; Pss 80:1; 99:1). The cherubim in the temple were models of the heavenly creatures used by God for various purposes, including the support of his heavenly throne
[x] Peggy Joyce Ruth, How a Mother Hen Protects Her Baby Chicks: Psalm 91, https://www.peggyjoyceruth.org/how-a-mother-hen-protectors-her-baby-chicks---psalm-91/how-a-mother-hen-protectors-her-baby-chicks-psalm-91
[xi] James 1:3–4 (The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language)
[xii] Psalm 138:8 (NASB95) The LORD will accomplish what concerns me; Your lovingkindness, O LORD, is everlasting; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.
[xiii] Michael Milton, A Refuge in the Shadow of Thy Wings (Psalm 57), https://michaelmilton.org/2014/11/29/a-refuge-in-the-shadow-of-thy-wings-psalm-57/
[xiv] Bethany Verrett, What Does it Really Mean to ‘Give Thanks in All things . . . in Everything”? https://www.biblestudytools. com/bible-study/topical-studies/how-can-we-give-thanks-in-all-things.html
[xv] Barnes Notes on the Bible, https://biblehub.com/commentaries/psalms/57-2.htm
[xvi] Steven Cole, Psalm 57: Singing In The Cave, https://bible.org/seriespage/psalm-57-singing-cave
[xvii] Cf., Gerald H. Wilson, Psalms, vol. 1, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002), 837.
[xviii] John Piper, How Do I Pray From The Misery of My Sin? (Nehemiah 9:6-31), https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/how-do-i-pray-from-the-misery-of-my-sin?_hsmi=233527293&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_61TDoCSskipMCo_199-ZF4iVxO2xV0WlniOVJUeZ-xrjPqh_54djeIsgWNK2JodMq_rq4Xi4K7nuxOnimEY_ZvkzvPg
[xix] Mark 12:30–31 (NASB95) 30 AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’ 31 “The second is this, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
[xx]John MacArthur, Worship: The Ultimate Priority (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 1983, 2012), p156