A storm is a matter of perspective. I determined this when I was in plane view.
A towering, multi-layered thunderstorm dominated the western skies during my flight home. I peered at its grandeur a few hundred miles away through my small passenger window. Streaks of lightning within the grey mass glowed orange, pink, and purple. The billowy grey clouds appeared static, yet dangerous turbulence boiled within each one. From my view within the plane, I could marvel at the colorful display of power and light because I was neither beneath its torrential rain nor tossed by its winds. I observed the peril from afar.
David, the future king of Israel, praises and thanks the Lord for His lovingkindness and truth, which are greater than all David could imagine. But what is the context of David’s song? Did he write it as a shepherd boy living in the peaceful fields around Bethlehem, his hometown? Or after he killed Goliath, the dangerous, undefeated Philistine warrior? No. David wrote this psalm after a close encounter with King Saul, his vindictive adversary who wanted him dead.
David and his small band of fighting men fled from the king and his three thousand soldiers who scoured Judea to capture them. The group trudged through the wilderness and arrived at the lush area of En-Gedi near the Dead Sea. Many limestone caves existed there, and David and his followers hid deep inside one.
Saul and his army were nearby. Saul needed to relieve himself, and he chose David’s cave to do so. David’s men rejoiced to see their enemy a few feet away and vulnerable. It seemed evident that the Lord had put Saul into David’s hands. But David resisted the temptation to kill him. He trusted the Lord to deal with Saul in His own way and time. David let his enemy live that day and then wrote Psalm 57 to praise the Lord. His focus wasn’t on his enemy but the Lord’s truth and kindness. David viewed the storm of Saul from the Lord’s perspective.
Like David, we should see beyond our problems. Ask God to help your heart be lifted in thankfulness and praise to the One who reigns above every storm and promises to deliver you when you trust in Him.
Grace Assante has enjoyed various writing projects over the years, and after attending the 2022 Asheville Christian Writers Conference, she was inspired to learn the craft of writing well and not to give up on her dreams of publication. She and her husband live in Brooklyn, New York, and are blessed with three grown children, two wonderful daughters-in-law, and three adorable grandkids. She enjoys traveling, reading, taking long walks with her husband, and meeting friends for coffee.