Psalm 57
In Psalm 57 David has just fled into a cave attempting to escape from King Saul. The first verse of the psalm reads, “Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.
This is fascinating. David, having physically run to a cave for protection from Saul does not sit and stew about the situation at hand but he gives the problem over to God. His body has found protection in a cave yet his soul has found protection in the shadow of God’s wing. His soul has found refuge, not in a damp, cold, dark cave of desperation, but in the hand of God.
There is yet another lesson to be learned here from David’s words and actions. David realizes that sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to do. David did not want a cave to be his home. He did not dream of a luxury cave to live in. Yet he found himself there. But regardless of the situation he was forced into he kept his eyes on God. Sometimes we find ourselves in situations that are less than pleasant. No good teacher wants to fail students, no good teacher wants to deal with irate parents, no good teacher wants uncomfortable situations to arise . . .but they do. David teaches us that no matter where we are in our lives our souls are in the hands of the only one that really counts.