5 Daily Prayers for God’s Divine Protection

Psalm 57:1-11

In Psalm 23, David relies on God for divine empowerment. However, there are other times when David looks for divine protection. Just like David, sometimes we look for divine protection against the dangers in life. In the case of David, he was a fugitive. King Saul sent out people to try to kill David. Yet, no matter what the danger may be, we can feel just as insecure as David perhaps felt. In this prayer, David calls out to pray for protection. He begs God to help him during this time of difficulty.

I believe that this psalm reveals to us five daily prayers for God’s divine protection every day.[1]

5 Daily Prayers for God’s Divine Protection

Be gracious.

“Be gracious to me, God, be gracious to me, for I take refuge in you. I will seek refuge in the shadow of your wings until danger passes.” (Psalm 57:1, CSB)

David is asking for God’s grace to help protect him. He is placing his faith not just in the cave he hides in. The means of protection is not as important as the God who is gracious to protect us. Even though David hides in a cave, he knows that his true protection comes not from the means – the cave. Instead, God is the One who hides David. God is gracious to produce a shadow big enough to hide in until the danger passes. God produces a supernatural cloaking device or invisibility shield until the danger left. If God can do that with David in a cave, He can do that today with me.

Reveal Your purpose.

“I call to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.” (Psalm 57:2, CSB)

I am quite sure that David was wondering why he had to spend time hiding in a cave. “What’s the purpose of this?” Don’t we all want to know sometimes why God puts us in certain situations? Why am still here in this town? Why am I still going through this struggle with my kids? Like David, you and I can call upon God to provide divine protection by revealing His purpose in a situation.

Reach down.

“He reaches down from heaven and saves me, challenging the one who tramples me. Selah God sends his faithful love and truth.” (Psalm 57:3, CSB)

Sometimes, don’t you wish that God would just swoop down from Heaven and solve your problems? I think David is saying that here. He recalls the times when he was surrounded by lions. He remembers a time when his enemies prepared a net to capture him, or a pit for him to fall in. Remembering these experiences made David feel despondent. He was deeply discouraged by negative thoughts. Dare I say it, perhaps David was a bit depressed.

Yet David reminds himself that God is to be exalted. He wants to God’s glory to fill the Earth. The reason is because He knows that God will handle the situation in the end. The pit that David’s enemies dug will be the same pit which the enemies will fall into. It’s not karma. It’s consequences for not trusting in God.

Build my confidence.

“My heart is confident, God, my heart is confident. I will sing; I will sing praises.” (Psalm 57:7, CSB)

Being chased by Saul day after day, week after week, David nonetheless said, “My heart is fixed.” When things are grim, when they feel they’re in a cave of despair and despondency, people in the world need a fix—of a drug or a drink. Not David. He said, “The only fix that will ultimately see me through is to praise God.”

Haven’t you found over and over again, that, even when everything is kind of dark and grim, when you start praising the Lord and worshiping Him, the atmosphere changes radically? David had discovered the same thing, for nothing could shake his determination to praise God.^[2]

The purpose of God’s reaching down is for me to be strengthened. I discover during times like this that I can’t do everything alone. Instead, I need God’s help and strength. I need Him to help me build my confidence.

As God shows His grace, reveals His purpose, and reaches down, it helps to build my confidence. As I realize that God is there with me all the way, and that I am not alone, I can see that I will get through this difficult time.

Be exalted.

“God, be exalted above the heavens; let your glory be over the whole earth.” (Psalm 57:5, CSB)

“Wake up, my soul! Wake up, harp and lyre! I will wake up the dawn. I will praise you, Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your faithful love is as high as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches the clouds. God, be exalted above the heavens; let your glory be over the whole earth.” (Psalm 57:8–11, CSB)

The psalm crescendos from a plea for help into a performance of praise. David calls on his soul to wake up and praise God. God deserves one’s praise because of His faithful love. When David spends more time praising God, he spends less time worrying about his circumstances. The same can said for me. I can spend time giving God excuses about my problems or I can spend time exalting God about His protection.

Prayer: God, I praise You because You protect me every day.

[1] Jim Erwin, “5 Prayers to Protect Me Everyday”, 20 October 2016, Internet, http://patheos.com/blogs/jimerwin/2016/10/20/5-prayers-to-protect-me-everyday/, accessed on 1 March 2024.

^[2] Jon Courson, Jon Courson’s Application Commentary: Volume Two: Psalms-Malachi (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2006), 71.

Image created using DALL·E via OpenAI’s ChatGPT platform, inspired by Psalm 57 and depicting David’s refuge in a cave with divine protection.