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"My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn (Psalm 57:7-8).

The setting of this psalm is riddled with irony. Saul, the first king of Israel, is squatting in a cave doing what people, rich and poor, male and female, must do: empty their bowels. The most powerful man in the nation is at his most vulnerable. He has 3000 of Israel's elite military with him. But they are outside, giving the king his privacy.

Inside the cave, way in its bowels, the most wanted man in the kingdom, David, the king's son-in-law and once right-hand man, huddles with his band of 400. They have hidden in the back of this cave hoping the king and his 3000 will march right on past and they can breathe for a bit. Oops. The king needs to relieve himself. This squatting king wants David's head more than anything else.

His outlaw band urge David him to stab the king in the back. God has already anointed David as the next king of Israel. Clearly, they reason, God has orchestrated this situation so David can finish Saul off and claim the throne that is his by right.

What's to stop him? Only his conscience. Only the fact that the man squatting there is the king, God's anointed. David lets him go on his way, cutting off only the corner of his robe as a demonstration of his innocence; that we will do no harm to this king.

David knows it s not over. He knows the king will continue to seek his life. Saul is jealous. In the end, either David or Saul will die. David knows that. But he will not take Saul's life. That's God's business; not his.

As he continues to keep one step ahead of Saul's murderous vendetta, David pens Psalm 57. It’s filled with hope, even joy despite the precariousness of his life. It is as if he is "among lions" who are out for a kill. And he’s the only prey around. All through this crisis, he trusts in God, hiding in the "shadow of His wings," knowing God will act on his behalf.

Thus, he praises his Lord, calling upon his lute and harp to make joyful music so he can sing to God among the nations. Here then is a burst of song in the storm. Many of us know these storms. They come in the form of illness, death of loved ones, financial uncertainty, job loss, break down of family relations and so many other forms.

During this storm, David sings, “My heart, O God, is steadfast.” This is no trite spirituality, ignoring the realities of life in this world. It recognizes that walking with God takes effort on our part. Paul says such things as, “work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12) and “live a life worthy of the calling you have received” (Ephesians 4:1) and “offer your bodies as living sacrifices” (Romans 12:1).

This is not about earning our salvation. Rather, it is about putting effort into following Jesus, learning from him. Then he fulfills his promise, “you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29). We come to places in which are hearts are steady in the storm and we can sing, “When darkness veils His lovely face, I rest on His unchanging grace; In every high and stormy gale My anchor holds within the veil. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand” (Cornerstone).

In this psalm we are reminded that praising God only when all is well is cheap praise. Praise also needs to be given when life is not good (as we normally define it). It is right to praise God for our material blessings. But it is also necessary to praise God in the storm.

That is when our praise is rooted in trust. This takes effort and practice on our part. It's a matter of growing into it. Pray that God will grow your trust and your praise.