Psalm 3

O Lord, how many are my foes!!

How many rise up against me!!

Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.”

But You are a shield around me, O Lord; You bestow glory and lift up my head.

To the Lord I cry aloud, and He answers me from His holy hill.

I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.

I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side.

Arise, O Lord!!

Deliver me, O my God!!

Strike all my enemies on the jaw;

Break the teeth of the wicked.

From the Lord comes deliverence. May Your blessing be on Your people.

NIV

First of all…I LOVE the Psalms!!

Now that that is out of the way, here we go~

This is written by King David; his first born son, Absalom, had decided to take over the kingship before it was his due time. David went on the run when Absalom had manipulated the people into believing that he should be king and not his father. However, as long as David lived Absalom’s rule would be in jeopardy so the “obvious” answer was that King David must be killed.

Psalm 3 is David’s response to being hunted by his own son.

And we think we have problems, right?

Go ahead and read the Psalm again…out loud this time.

What words or phrases stand out?

#1 How many are my foes!

This is not a question. David is making a statement to say, “look how many are against me!!”

We may not have a literal army chasing us, hunting us down to kill us…but we do have things against us, don’t we?

In my own life, this “enemy” or “foe” has been a job crisis…an illness in me…an illness in a friend…a helpless feeling that I have nothing to offer those in need…my insecurities…my anxiety…time constraints (it is hard to be in two places at once, isn’t it??)…COVID…

I could keep going…but, now it is your turn to list what those “enemies” are that are pressing up against you.

To name or define your foe gives you a “face” to fight against.

#2 “many say God will not deliver me”

Wow. Am I the only one who hears that voice in my head?? You know the one…God won’t do this for you…God can’t do this for you…miracles don’t happen anymore…

David is speaking my heart now… I believe Lord, help my unbelief…

#3 ” but You…”

There is NOTHING more powerful in the face of doubt and fear than to utter those precious words…BUT GOD…

#4 You are a shield, You bestow glory, You lift my head

That means PROTECTION, HONOR,and STRENGTH be upon you because of your faith.

Lift your head child…look up…You are protected and not shamed.

#5 I lie down and sleep…for the Lord sustains me

Can you sleep when troubled?

Can you sleep when stressed?

Can you sleep when terrified someone will hurt you?

I have nightmares…my anxiety likes to skyrocket in the dark of night…worries I never knew I had like to wake me up and torture me with their endless circling.

Ever since I was a little girl, I have done one thing in those moments…I sing Jesus loves me this I know🎵🎶

When my son was younger we used to pray against bad dreams and fear…We would dress him in the Armor of God first (that Helmet of Salvation y’all…protection of the mind) and then would pray Philippians 4:8~ to think on good things.

When my mind is protected and my thoughts have been taken captive by good things (praiseworthy, honorable, admirable, etc…) I CAN SLEEP.

Boom. Mic drop.

The Lord sustains me.

#6 I will not fear…

Because I am rested…because I am sustained…because I am protected…

I will not fear.

It is starting to sound like a choice, isn’t it? It seems like my choices and my actions have more power over what makes me afraid than the situation or circumstance.

Whoa. Mic dropped again 🎤

#7 from the Lord comes deliverence and blessings

Where does my help come from?? It comes from the Lord.

The only thing I did not focus on that I need to mention is a very important part to all of this…David trusted in God and trusted that God heard his cry…

Psalm 3:4 tells us that David cried aloud to the Lord and the Lord answered.

Take captive your thoughts and think on good things not only on what you are afraid of.

We need to do our part in the face of fear, in the presence of our enemies, in the pressure that is tightening around us…

Remember that you are protected and sustained.

Cry out honestly to the Lord and then listen for His answer.