A Heart For God.

“My heart is confident in you, O God; my heart is confident. No wonder I can sing your praises!” – Psalm 57:7 NLT

David is hiding out in a cave in the middle of the wilderness. He is running from crazy King Saul who has set a bounty on his head, and is out to see David’s memory wiped from the face of the earth. In looking back at his circumstances, David crafts a song to tell others what he has learned about his God through the midst of it all. He pens the lyrics to a hymn of praise that chronicles the goodness of God in the midst of the difficulties of life. David is being chased. He is being hounded. His very life is in danger. He is surrounded by enemies and facing unbelievable opposition. Yet he has been anointed king by the prophet Samuel and appointed as the next king by God Himself. So he cries out to God to bring about what He has promised. “I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill His purpose for me” (Psalm 57:2 NLT). All the way back when Samuel had anointed him, David had heard the Lord say, “This is the one; anoint him” (1 Samuel 16:12 NLT). Then Samuel had poured the oil onto David’s head and God poured His Spirit into David’s heart. In doing so, God was promising David that he would one day be the king of Israel. Yes, Saul was still on the throne and David was hiding out in a cave in the wilderness, but in spite of those circumstances, God was going to keep His promise. David was confident in that. In Psalm 56, written based on David’s experience when he fled from Saul and sought refuge among the Philistines (a plan that didn’t work out too well for him), David learned to trust in God’s promise. He wrote, “This I know: God is on my side!” (Psalm 56:9 NLT).

David can sing God’s praises because He had learned to trust God’s promises. He didn’t wait until God had completely fulfilled them all and he was on the throne of Israel. No, David sang God’s praises from the depths of a cave in the middle of the wilderness, years before he ever put a crown on his head or set foot in the city of Jerusalem. David sang of God’s love and faithfulness in anticipation of God’s future fulfillment of His promises. We can praise Him now for what He is going to do later, because God always comes through. He is good on His word. David cried out to God knowing that He would send help from heaven to rescue him. In due time, God would do what He had promised to do. And He still works the same way today. We can trust Him because He is trustworthy.

Father, may I be able to say, “My heart is confident in you, my heart is confident.” And may I be able to say it long before You’ve proven it true. May I praise You based on Your reputation for faithfulness, not just because You’ve proven it. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org