Have I mentioned that I love King David? He so often reminds me of me... what a drama queen (OK, king).
This psalm is full of "Help me, I'm surrounded, nobody cares" (something I can completely relate to but which isn't my normal mindset at the moment, thanks be to the Lord). So, I strongly suspect the reason I was taken to this particular psalm was to see this (verse 7a):
Bring my soul out of prison, so that I may give thanks to Your name.
You see, this is just backwards. Yet it's often the way we think: "God, please get me out of this fix and make me feel better, so that I will see Your hand on my life. I'll praise and thank You so much if You do this."
Giving thanks to His name is a vastly better starting point. When our primary focus is God and not the rescue, He begins to bring our souls out of prison in ways we've never imagined.
But you know what? As I type these words I realize that David's heart probably did have it right. His words sometimes expressed things backwards, but His heart and will were fully the Lord's. Which is all God really asks. Not only that, now that I think of it, "Please get me out of my prison" was my own focus for a very long time. And the sweet Lord met me there.
Thank You, beloved One, for meeting us in our prisons and ministering to us there, teaching us day by day to thank and praise You.