I read Psalm 59 and realize with joy that it’s the first recorded psalm of David. In my chronological Bible reading plan, I learn that you read Psalm 59 right after 1 Samuel 21. His first psalm! What would he write? What did he know—or need to know—most of all about God in this first account?
We know the scene: It’s not good. It’s terrible and sad and scary. We know that Saul sent men to spy on David in order to kill him. We know they stand outside his house. The world must have felt wicked, unsafe, and unfair to young David. He was just a shepherd boy from the countryside. Now he’s trapped in a surrounded house, tormented by an evil king. What would David write from this position? What truth needed to fill his heart most of all?
Notably, David tells us something so important about God. David writes this is verse 9.
O my Strength, I watch for you; you O God, are my fortress, my loving God.
I love that David knew God was his Strength, his Fortress, and his Loving God. But he also knew how to trust God and foster an expectant heart. He would “watch” for God. While David didn’t know what the morning would bring (maybe death or maybe deliverance), he chose to write this in verse 16-17:
But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. O my Strength, I sing praise to you; you, O God, are my fortress and my loving God.
Our Strength.
Our Fortress.
Our Loving God.
In the morning, we can always sing of His love. We can always sing because God is our refuge in times of trouble. And we can watch for Him all day long as David did in this first psalm.