“My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody!” (Psalm 57:7)

The psalmist is in the middle of describing all the difficulties he is facing. He refers to them as storms of destruction, as being in the midst of lions and fiery beasts. These enemies that surround him and make his life dangerous are the children of men whose teeth are as arrows and spears; their tongues are as sharp swords.

We are reminded in this brief lament that mankind is capable of great harm with nothing more than speech. If nothing else it should encourage us to be more careful of what we say and how we say it. Teeth and tongues that become weapons are as destructive to others as the worst of personal weapons are.

Guns in the school building are capable of taking lives and bullies are capable of ruining them. Angry words cut deep and do lasting damage to those who receive them. Gossip ruins reputations and often cause unrepairable damage to the lives of those on the wrong end. False accusations are high on God’s list of sins and should be treated with severe punishment in the courts of the land. Many suicides are the result of someone’s misuse of the tongue.

To say that words don’t hurt or harm is a misstatement of the gravest kind. They are in fact as lethal as an assault rifle. Words hurt and harm because people use them for that very purpose. No stick or stone can equal the damage of teeth like spears and arrows or tongues that are sharp swords.

In the midst of this, the psalmist has found comfort. He has called upon God for mercy. He has taken refuge in the shadow of God’s wings. Jesus offers His people the same protection. The psalmist is comforted because he knows that God will send steadfast love and faithfulness. That understanding is the key to the psalmist statement in our key verse.

He has a steadfast heart. God’s love is steadfast, and God is faithful to save His people, and this allows the writer of the psalm to declare his own steadfastness. So content is he that he undertakes to sing and make melody in his heart to the steadfastness of God. How confident are we?

Task for Today: No doubt trouble is near you. There are those in your life that cause you grief, either by word or deed. Call upon God to grant you mercy and to hide you under the shadow of His wings. Believe God loves you and is faithful to keep His promises to you. Jesus said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” He who was forsaken knows the pain of facing evil alone, and He will never let you do that. Stand steadfast in your heart today. God has your back. Do not be afraid of what men can do to you, trust God to deliver you.