Psalm 56--Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me. Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High. What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me. Every day they wrest my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil. They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul. Shall they escape by iniquity? in thine anger cast down the people, O God. Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book? When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me. In God will I praise his word: in the LORD will I praise his word. In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me. Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee. For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?

The psalmist here is pleading for the Lord's mercy. His foes gather around, oppressing him. He feels outnumbered because there are many that would swallow him up. It is in these circumstances that he remembers who his Refuge is. His Refuge is the living God, and his confession is that he will trust in this Refuge when his foes gather against him. He knows that when he appeals to God, his foes are turned backward, and scattered. Having such a shelter in God turns the believer's sighs and tears to songs of praise for deliverance from death.

Most of us probably can understand this psalm because we have faced similar circumstances in our lives. Our foes may be in the workplace, school, or even sometimes in our own homes. The world in the workplace will often be characteristic of those mentioned in this psalm. If you speak out about a particular evil that is characteristic of your co-workers, they often will tempt you to join in that evil. If the oppression of the co-workers isn't enough, peers from school can often do the same. The kind of oppression from others that is probably hardest to bear is when that oppression comes from those in your home. This often comes upon those who express their concerns about various things that go on in the home which may not be characteristic of those who desire to live holy, unblamable lives. To top all that off, we still have Satan and his hosts raging, conspiring with our own sinful flesh to devour us.

In our distress from these foes, we cry out to the Lord for his mercy. In answer to our prayer, God gives us that mercy, and gives us the confidence to approach Him with all our cares and concerns.