Psalm 57

"Wake up, my soul!"

There are many metaphors for the spiritual life. Psalm 57 describes the wakefulness of the soul.  

This wakefulness is tied to praise. The poet wakes up his soul, wakes up his musical instruments, and then wakes up the dawn. All to praise God. A wakefulness for praise. 

The spiritual life is about being watchful, alert, perceptive, aware, observant, attentive, vigilant, mindful, ready, and conscious. But far too often we are asleep, unconscious, oblivious, inattentive, unaware, distracted, unheeding, unobservant, indifferent, and unmindful. Especially when it comes to the matter of thankfulness, gratitude, and praise. 

As I describe in my upcoming book The Shape of Joy, gratitude is one of the most consistent predictors of emotional health and life satisfaction. The science of joy is just now catching up to Psalm 57 and its description of a grateful, wakeful posture toward life, a praiseful orientation toward God. 

And it raises profound questions for us today.

Am I awake? Or am I asleep?

And if we find ourselves sleeping, unmindful, inattentive, and unconscious, let's call to mind Psalm 57 and say to ourselves, "Wake up, my soul!"