Psalm Chapter 57

Psalm 57: The Song That Wakes the Dawn

David is hiding in a cave — tradition says Adullam or En-gedi — with Saul's men prowling the landscape above. His soul, he says, is among lions. And yet something extraordinary happens in the darkness of that cave. Instead of collapsing into self-pity or hardening into bitterness, David's heart becomes fixed. "My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise." The repetition is not accidental; it is the sound of a man planting his feet. And then the most magnificent gesture: "Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early." He does not wait for the dawn to bring him hope — he decides to wake the dawn with his praise. There is a kind of defiance in this that is not rebellion but faith at its most muscular. The lions are still there. The cave is still dark. But David has found something more real than his circumstances, and he means to sing about it until the sun has no choice but to rise.

00:00 My Soul Among Lions
01:00 I Myself Will Awake the Dawn