Psalm 57 speaks about man and God. If you start at the beginning of the Psalm you would, humanly speaking, end at verse 4: "I am in the midst of lions; I lie among rav­enous beasts." But Psalm 57 forces us to start at the end. The last verse, and also the fifth verse, point to God. These verses are words of acceptable worship. We worship God in church as we sing and listen and pray. Do we also worship God in our homes, as families and as individuals?

In Psalm 57 we learn about the history described in 1 Samuel 22. David was surrounded by those who had fallen on hard times and had come to him. They may have looked to the right or to the left, but they learn under the leadership of David to look up – right there in that cave. About four hundred men were with David, seemingly a motley band of people. But they were troubled, rather than being in trouble. They were dis­tressed, rather than causing distress.

And David the leader puts things in the right perspective. Acknow­ledging that they are unworthy, all the emphasis is on the work of the LORD. In the cave of Adullam, David leads the people in worship. The praise for God does not stay in the cave, but breaks right through the roof because David points at the LORD and his work in this world.

David speaks about the Name of the LORD. David expects everything from that Name. In this Psalm, he mentions the Lord's grace, the Lord's wings, and the Lord who fulfils his purpose for him. In the cave, for the ears of so many who have been treated badly, David leads in worship. God teaches us that the world does not revolve around you, but revolves around him. In the midst of anxious questions, David leads in worship: "Let your glory be over all the earth."

Later David would be given the kingship to establish truth and jus­tice in Israel again. These things would later show in the kingship of Solomon, and would lead to the well­being of God's people.

But there has to be more. Verse 5: "Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth!" This is a prayer to let the glory of God go beyond the cave, be­yond the wilderness, beyond Pales­tine. It is about the entire earth. This prayer is about the place where God wants his Kingdom, founded on truth and justice, to be re-established. That is what David touches upon in this Psalm, but which is even now still not completely fulfilled.

Now it has come closer because the Lord Jesus Christ has come and has established truth and equity as the pillars of his Kingdom. And he is already seated in glory at the right hand of his Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead, and to establish his Kingdom on this entire earth. That is the horizon of Psalm 57. It is as if the roof of the cave is lifted:

For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.Psalm 57:10

That puts things in perspective. With a heart full of confidence, you can give your life over into the hands of the LORD. The words of the Belgic Confession state that the Son of God will present the cause of God's chil­dren in such a way that it will be rec­ognized as the cause of the Son of God. What a comfort to have!

Psalm 57 teaches us that it is not about mankind. It is about the wor­ship of God who is worthy. This is an activity that all of God's children should be busy with. This is an activ­ity that all of God's children should be experienced in. For if you don't worship God, whom do you worship? If you start with yourself, you will likely get stuck on that. But when you begin at the end of Psalm 57, you have the right beginning.

Those who begin with the worship of God will never run out of praise. Those who begin with the worship of God will never look down. Those who begin with the worship of God will never be distracted by trouble.