Christianity never promises the absence of suffering. Christianity promises the presence of God in the midst of suffering.

In his book Praying the Psalms, Old Testament scholar Walter Burgemon lays out three rhythms of life in which we can find ourselves in:

1. Orientation (in which everything makes sense in our lives)
2. Disorientation (in which we feel we have sunk into the pit)
3. Reorientation (in which we realize that God has lifted us out of the pit and we are in a new place full of gratitude and awareness about our lives and our God)

These three rhythms describe the Psalms general movement and our collective experience in life, especially today. Just a few months ago, we were doing what we wanted to do, eating what we wanted to eat, and going where we wanted to go. We were in a state of orientation. 

Then an unseen virus plagues us, and now we shift our rhythm of life from orientation to disorientation. It hit us in a personal way. We find our lives, businesses, and families disoriented. 

And like David in Psalm 57, we long for a day where reorientation may come. We long for God’s comfort and consolation. This is the pattern of our lives. 

Psalm 57 describes why David is in a state of disorientation. David is on the run. In the inscription, it explains why he is on the run. He’s on the run because Saul is trying to kill him. David was on high alert, not knowing where or when Saul’s attack may come. He is mindful of where he goes, the people he talks to, and the places he goes. 

Just like David, this pandemic places us on high alert. We are careful about what we touch, mindful of where we go, and diligent in washing our hands repeatedly throughout the day. 

Because David is on high alert, he prays for God’s mercy.

Verse 1

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy, for in You my soul takes refuge.

Verse 4

My soul is among the lions; I lie down with ravenous beasts— with men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.

Now we might not have lions and ravenous beast in our midst, but we do have ravenous children in quarantine. Children who want to eat every 20 minutes and insist on you to provide them.  

Here are David’s words 

Verse 1

…in You my soul takes refuge. In the shadow of Your wings, I will take shelter until the danger has passed.

David is in the midst of his season of disorientation. Notice he does not say I will take refuge in you because the danger has passed. This verse is written NOT from the place of reorientation but rather in the middle of his disorientation. At the time of his writing, he didn’t know when the disaster would pass.  

In the midst of danger, David takes comfort because he is under the shadow of God’s wings. In God he finds shelter.

Verse 1

… In the shadow of Your wings I will take shelter…

We are recommended during this pandemic to “shelter in place.” That is good advice. It’s meant to keep us safe and minimize the risk of danger. However, where we find peace in the midst of danger is finding shelter under God’s wings. Under his power and providential hand. When David wrote this Psalm, he was quite literally sheltering in place in a cave. Like David in Psalm 91.

Psalm 91:1-2

1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

David is saying he is in an environment marked by anxiety, but he will not allow the environment to mark his life. I will find refuge in God, and that is our invitation to do likewise.