Worship songs don’t usually hit me hard. For those of you who know me, I’m pretty staid with my emotions, but I’ve been listening a song this week that has been extremely meaningful. The song Awake My Soul (Psalm 57) by The Worship Initiative & Writers Well is drawn from Psalm 57. In Psalm 57, David is praising God in a season when he had to flee from King Saul into the caves. The superscription (the small section of writing at the beginning of psalm, usually with notes to the choir director or providing context) talks about how this is to be sung to the tune “Do Not Destroy!” It makes me laugh, but is also very fitting.
David asks God to have mercy on him. David acknowledges that he is surrounded by fierce lions, that his enemies are laying traps, and that David’s destruction could easily happen. But David exalts God.
“Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens!
May your glory shine over all the earth.” -Psalm 57:5 (NLT)
Exalt is word we don’t use often in our day and age. It means to hold someone in very high regard, to raise to a higher rank. In God’s case, there is no higher rank, it is just a recognition that God is above all. But David does this, even as he is surrounded by lions, even when his enemies are laying traps for him, even when he is hiding from death by a mad king that is hunting him.
I think about our lives. There are so many things to do, especially in this season as we get closer to Christmas. I pray that you will keep God exalted. Above the busy-ness, above the schedule conflicts, the many to-do list items, above everything. The song ends with the words “Awake my soul to love you, awake my soul to sing.”
May God be exalted in your life, and may your soul awaken so you may follow after Him.
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