But Thou, O LORD!
Ever had THAT kind of day – everything comes against you in a rush? You feel that you are surrounded by enemies or by problems that are totally beyond your control. David had those kinds of days too and Psalm 3 is a record of a total meltdown. But he didn’t stay down – he called out to God for salvation!
Now just reading this one gives me chill bumps, but when you dig around and learn the circumstances around which David wrote it…well, it takes on fresh meaning!
David had a pretty dysfunctional family. Back in 2 Samuel 15 you will read how David’s own son, Absalom, planned a coup at the gates of his father’s own kingdom. Using slick words and his good looks (the Bible says Absalom was “pretty” head to toe), he convinced many of the Israelites to join him in an attempt to overthrow his father as king of Israel. All of the sudden, David was surrounded by his enemies, led by his own flesh and blood!
In Psalm 3:1-2, we see the situation described: “O LORD, how my adversaries have increased! Many are rising up against me. Many are saying of my soul, ‘There is no deliverance for Him in God.’” David was stating the facts that he was out numbered and people were talking about it. Have you ever had a time of battling something in your life where people were just casting doubt on the situation? Maybe you have overheard people say, “Oh, he was too sinful to be saved!” or “There is no way she will ever overcome that sickness.” Listen – there is not an enemy that is visible or invisible that is too big for the powerful hand of God! “Many” versus God is no match!
Verses 3-6 provide the solution: “But You, O LORD, are a shield about me, My glory, and the one who lifts my head. I was crying to the LORD with my voice, And He answered me from His holy mountain. I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustains me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me round about.” I love these verses. Just imagine God holding a shield over you when people are mocking you or when you are facing something in your life that seems much bigger than you can handle. You may be crying, but God will cup your precious face in His unseen hand and lift your head toward heaven. He will cause you to have such peace, that sleep will not be a problem because you know that Jehovah Jireh (the God who provides) will meet every need.
Finally, see the salvation of God in verses 7-8: “Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God! For You have smitten all my enemies on the cheek; You have shattered the teeth of the wicked. Salvation belongs to the LORD; Your blessing be upon your people!” God’s salvation will come – He will deliver you. Here is the thing though: we don’t get to choose HOW God delivers us and that is hard for us to accept. Sometimes God delivers us right THROUGH the fire instead of FROM the fire. Sometimes deliverance comes for those who are sick through death. But we all have to get home somehow, right? Our rejoicing is in the fact that God will save us, not HOW He will save us.
Having a personal relationship with God through Jesus certainly gives us passage into heaven; however, there is so much more to it. This relationship allows us to have peace and an abundant life while living here on earth. I really do not understand how people make it through difficult times in their lives without knowing that God will lift their sorrowful heads or give them enough peace to sleep soundly. Do you KNOW God as a comforting Father? Can you say with David “But You, O LORD…” when your enemies rise against you? Seek Him – He will not abandon you in your time of need.
Here is this Psalm set to music by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir: But Thou, O LORD