When All Seems Lost
God
The preface to Psalm 56 reads:
To the choirmaster; according to the dove on far-off terebinths. A Miktam of David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath.
This gives us a historical frame of reference for this Psalm. It tells us about the circumstances under which David composed this song. While fleeing from Saul, David had gone over into the territory of the Philistines and had become a prisoner in their hands. The king of the Philistines was under pressure from some of his advisors and military commanders to put David to death. Of course, they would want that. They hadn’t forgotten that David was the man who killed their champion, Goliath. He was the one of whom it was said, “David has slain thousands.” So, we can assume that some of these people had friends and family members for whom David was responsible for their deaths. It would be a miracle if they didn’t kill him.
To say David was “between a rock and a hard place” would be an understatement. He was in a hopeless situation. In a purely logical, human sense, all was lost. David’s enemies had the upper hand. Their thoughts were against him. They were waiting for their opportunity to strike. David was afraid. He was weeping. What does a man of God do when everything seems to be against him and all seems to be lost?
God.
He turns to God. He seeks God’s grace (verse 1). He puts his trust in God (verses 3, 4, and 11). He praises God (verses 4 and 10). He reminds himself of God’s promises (verse 9).
When everything seems hopeless.
God.
This is so good, especially with people with serious personal issues, and even living in today’s world.