Awake, my glory! Awake, O harp and lyre!
I will awake the dawn! –Psalm 57:8 ESV

What were the circumstances in David’s life when he wrote in Psalm 57, “Awake, my glory”?

David wrote this in a dark place in his life. This Psalm likely refers to events recorded in 1 Samuel 22. He was fleeing from Saul, hiding in a cave. Saul had killed others. David knew he could be next. “My soul is in the midst of lions,” he wrote in verse 4.

Psalm 57 reveals the heroic heart of David. While fearing for his life (v. 1, 4) he lifted his heart in worship to God (v. 5, 11) and allowed his faith to soar.

David never forgot that years before, he had been anointed by the prophet Samuel to be king of Israel. He believed God ordained for him a royal destiny.

So how did David see himself in his mind’s eye, living out his faith, his royal destiny toward God?

Awake, my glory! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn!
I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to you among the nations. –Psalm 57:8–9 ESV

“I will awake the dawn.” What could this mean?

Was David imagining himself having superhuman strength to make the sun come up all by himself? I suggest that David knew his life had an incredibly significant destiny way beyond the horizon … way beyond tomorrow, way beyond his immediate geography.

That cave was cold and dark. The most powerful and ruthless man in the land was after him. But David did not despair.

David knew that a day was coming when he would be using his unique talents and gifts to make known “among the peoples” — the glorious, steadfast love of God Most High. He would be singing and worshiping among the peoples, using his creative gifts, both to bless God and to bless the nations.

David knew ‘in his bones’ that his royal destiny, his glory—was merely dormant. He came close to death many times in conflict with his enemies. But ultimately, his glory, his destiny could not be denied.

David’s passionate longing for glory aligned with God’s grand global purpose. In faith, David cried out and called forth his destiny in God’s Story. “Awake, my glory … I will give thanks to you among  the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.”

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Are you like David? Are you in a place in your journey where it feels like you’re in a cave? Do you sense something glorious deep within remains unfulfilled? Do you long for God to awaken your glory?

Whatever gifts, skills or resources God has ordained for your life … whatever experiences, beautiful or tragic, He has allowed for you in your journey … know this: If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you are IN GOD’S STORY.

And God’s global love Story is glorious! It is glorious for God, it is glorious for the nations, and it is glorious for you.