Caruso’s “little Me”

Psalm 108:1-5

A psalm of David. A song.

1My heart is confident in you, O God;

no wonder I can sing your praises!

Wake up, my soul!

2Wake up, O harp and lyre!

I will waken the dawn with my song.

3I will thank you, LORD, in front of all the people.

I will sing your praises among the nations.

4For your unfailing love is higher than the heavens.

Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

5Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens.

May your glory shine over all the earth.

The great Italian tenor Enrico Caruso was often unsure of himself prior to a performance. Sometimes when he was facing a very demanding role, a little voice inside of him seemed to say, “You can’t do it, Enrico! You can’t do it!”

Enrico decided that he must have two personalities within him, the Little Me and the Big Me. The Little Me told him he couldn’t do it. It was always negative and doubtful. The Big Me, however, told him he could do it. It was positive and full of confidence.

Sometimes offstage before a large concert, Caruso could be heard muttering to himself, “Get out, Little Me! Get out, Little Me!” Then the Big Me would take over as he went on stage.

For Christians, the Big Me takes over when we say, along with the apostle Paul, “I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need” (Philippians 4:13).

In this psalm David expresses his confidence in his big God in verse 1, and throughout the first five verses he exalts God for his love and faithfulness. That’s a good way for us to begin when the Little Me takes over in our life. Because David starts the psalm in this way, he can end the psalm by saying, “With God’s help we will do mighty things” (verse 13).

My God is reconciled, His pardoning voice I hear.

He owns me for His child; I can no longer fear,

With confidence I now draw nigh,

With confidence I now draw nigh,

And “Father, Abba, Father,” cry.

CHARLES WESLEY

Fascinating Fact

Note that it isn’t the dawn (or the rooster crowing or the alarm clock ringing) that wakes up the psalmist. It is the psalmist who wakes up the dawn (verse 2). He is so eager to sing praise to God that he tells the sun that it is time to wake up.

Notable Quotable

“How deeply God loves his people, and how true He is to His word—these are experiences that keep growing on God’s children as long as they draw breath here on earth. Surely both are as high as the heavens or as high as the clouds.”

H. C. LEUPOLD