Mercy in the Morning

Read Psalm 59

Psalm 59:16-17

¹⁶ But I will sing of Your power; Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; For You have been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble. ¹⁷ To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises; For God is my defense, My God of mercy.

You wake up in the morning, brush your teeth, wash your face, and put on a fresh pot of coffee. A new day is about to begin. What will it hold?

Good or bad, are you ready to believe in God's "Mercy in the Morning?"

For David, the author of Psalm 59, each new day was an opportunity to experience the mercy of God. Psalms 56-60 are known as the "Michtam's of David." There is much debate among scholars as to the meaning of the word, with the consensus being that michtam means "precious" or "golden." I did a quick google search on this Psalm and it said the poetic words of Psalm 59 held exceptional, personal value to the author.

Let's explore why.

David was called a "man after God's own heart." But as we have gone through these Psalms it sure looks like David had a lot of people who hated him. First on that list of enemies was King Saul. Even though David never did anything to warrant Saul hating him (other than wound Saul's pride), Saul repeatedly tried to have David killed because he was a threat to his throne.

1 Samuel 19 gives us the complete backstory to Psalm 59. I encourage you to read it because it shows how twisted Saul became in his desire to eliminate David. It seemed like every day David had to watch his back! There are multiple times in 1 Samuel 19 where David is told that Saul will kill him in the morning. It reminds me of that line from The Princess Bride, when the Dread Pirate Roberts said to Wesley, "Good night, Wesley. Good work. Sleep well. I'll most likely kill you in the morning." THAT WAS DAVID'S LIFE!

What is fascinating is how Saul's children (Jonathan was David's best friend, and Michal was David's wife) were the ones who helped David and warned him every step of the way. With every new threat that Saul sent David's way, God provided a new defense against it. In 1 Samuel 19:11 Saul tells his soldiers to go to David's house in the morning to kill him. Michal (Saul's daughter) tells David to run away the night before and David's life is saved. That is why David concludes Psalm 59 with praises and singing of the saving power of God in his life. Psalm 59:16 I will sing of Your power; Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning."

Think about those words in light of David's struggles. He is faithfully singing his belief that somehow, someway, God continues to deliver him, defend him, and lift him up over whatever attack is planned against him for that day! David is basically singing, "Wow God, every morning you have a new MERCY for me!"

When you read through all of Psalm 59 this is how David started his day.

Verse 1: My Deliverer.

Verse 1&10: My God.

Verse 9: My Defense. Verse 10: My Mercy.

Verse 16: My Refuge.

Verse 17: My Strength.

What can you learn from this? Are you writing down all the ways God has delivered you, had mercy on you, been a refuge for you, strength for you, and more? If you're reading this devotion in the morning have you thanked God for His mercy over your life? Have you begun this day with praise and thankfulness?

David provides an excellent blueprint for all of us. Who knows what the day has in store for you...but according to God's Word you can rest assurred that God has new mercy in the morning for you. Rejoice in it!

Lamentations 3:22-23

²² Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. ²³ They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

Josh Huisman is the senior pastor of Crosswalk Church in Brentwood, TN.

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