Ten times in Scripture a reader will find this petition addressed to God, “Be merciful to me,” and over half of them come from David’s pen. One such passage is Psalm 56, where David cries out for mercy from his enemies. His enemies, he said, “…would swallow me up…would hound me all day…fight against me…they twist my words; all their thoughts are against me for evil. They gather together, they hide, they mark my steps…” (Psa. 56:1-7). Does this sound familiar? Is there anyone (or any ones) who hounds you, twists your words or thinks evil of you?
Three times in this psalm David says that he had put his trust in God, and twice he said that trust lead him not to be controlled by fear of others. My favorite part of the psalm is in verses 8 and 9, “…Put my tears into Your bottle…When I cry out to You, then my enemies will turn back; This I know, because God is for me.” That is the love and mercy of God!
God not only sees our tears (2 Kings 20:5; Isa. 38:5), but He takes them and puts them into His bottle. How do I know He’s there for me and protecting me? Because My God is for me!