It's comforting to me that God looked at a man like David, who fell in faith as often as he stood, and had these words to say. "That's a man after my own heart!" Those words give me hope! David was far from perfect - both in his faith and in his actions. Yet, he was ok in God's opinion because God saw his heart.
David went through a season of doubt where he might have wondered if his faith was big enough to survive. Saul was chasing him. The city of Gath wouldn't let him stay and hide. He lied to the priests and acted crazy with the Philistines. He had nowhere to go - no friends. David's giants were overwhelming him. Desperate and alone, he ran to the wilderness and found refuge in a cave.
It was there in that dark, musty cave that David finally came to his senses. He remembered that he served a God who is bigger than his problems. David realized in that cave that he wasn't truly alone, although he felt that way, because God was there with him. So, David did what he did best. He poured his heart out in a song.
David penned the words to Psalm 57.
"Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy! I look to You for protection. I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until the danger passes by." (Psalm 57:1)
Psalm 57 is a praise song. David was singing in the dark, and it wasn't the blues! God had promised him that he would be king, but it wasn't looking like it was going to happen. David's life was falling apart. He was still physically alone and being hunted by an enemy. David's circumstances hadn't changed. Yet, David's heart had!
"My heart is confident in You, O God; my heart is confident. No wonder I can sing Your praises." (Psalm 57:7)
David made God his refuge once more. He stopped focusing on his giants, and he started focusing on his God! David's faith had crumbled like leaves, and he had lost his way. Yet, he anchored himself back to God in the midst of his life's chaos in that dark cave through praise.
"I will sing Your praises among the nations. For Your unfailing love is as high as the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds." (Psalm 57:9-10)
David used his worship as a weapon against doubt and fear. He chose to worship in the middle of a storm. David took his eyes off of himself and turned his thoughts to God. It is hard to focus on the negative when we are busy focusing on praising God. David's heart changed when he used praise and worship as his weapons.
When David wrote the song, Psalm 57, he focused on who God is: protection, glory, love, faithfulness. In the midst of the confusion and chaos in his life, David raised a hallelujah! He chose to praise God in the middle of the storm even though he didn't see God's promises for him happening at the moment.
Sometimes, our battles aren't about our own victory. They are about God's victory! People we don't even know are watching how we live our lives to see if we really believe in everything we say that we believe. They are watching to see if we are going to get back up in faith after we have fallen in doubt. They are watching to see if we are going to raise a hallelujah even when it looks like our prayers aren't going to be answered the way that we want them to be answered.
You may be going through a season of doubt right now that is so big that you are wondering if your faith can survive it. Like David, your life may feel like it is falling apart. You might be struggling with loneliness, depression, betrayal, anxiety, fears, health concerns or any number of issues. In the midst of the storm, in the middle of the deep, dark cave you may be experiencing, will you raise a hallelujah?
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