Be Exalted, O God

Ps. 57:5

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let Your glory be over all the earth!

How is God exalted? What can I do to exalt God to the degree that He should be exalted? David demonstrated practically how to exalt God in Ps. 57. First, he cried out for mercy. Be merciful, to me, O God. God desires that man should be totally dependent on him because in his dependence, he is declaring God's sovereign power and majesty. God wants to be my all, my refuge til the storms of destruction pass by. Man's propensity for control and mastery are heinous to God, and in essence, steal His glory. When I am most dependent, I am exalting Him the most. How simple yet how very difficult!

Secondly, David cried out to God for all that he needed. I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills His purpose for me. In David's cry he not only declared his helplessness, but he also acknowledged God's sovereign power and purpose. Who better to ask for help than the One who put all the details of life in motion. He knew that God would send out His steadfast love and His faithfulness to Him. His personal trust in God had impacted his life practically. He was living in the reality of God's sovereign power and purpose. When I live in this same reality, I am glorifying Him.

Thirdly, David's heart was faithful to God. My heart is steadfast, O God. His trust in God was unfailing. He was not double minded in his thinking or in his affections. Whatever he was to receive from the hand of God was what he desired for his life. This steadfastness brought glory to God. As Paul said, For the sake of Christ then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities, for when I am weak than I am strong. How wonderful is a heart that trust unfailingly and completely in God! How God delights in such obedience!

Fourthly, David lifted his voice in song and instrumentation. I will sing and make melody...Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn. As a natural outpouring of what his heart felt, he sang and played. Music was a vital part of his worship and exalted his God. In this visible manifestation, he was able to praise God and share this praise with others.

Finally, he was thankful. I will give thanks to You, O God. He gave thanks in prayer and in praise before the nations. He acknowledged God to all who came into his life. His life's mission was to declare His God among the nations, to be known as a man after God's own heart. He ends the psalm with the same words, Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! What a powerful psalm! How does my life exalt God? Am I practically living in the reality of a soverign God? Am I thankfully praising God in my words, my actions, and my music?

Father,
Help me live practically in Your soverign power. Reveal it to me when I try and steal Your power and glory. Open my heart up in praise to You alone.
In Jesus name,
Amen