Opening up Chapter 3 of The Pslams, we fast forward to when King David was on the run for his life, his son Absolom was staging a coup and trying to overthrow his father David, David was hiding from Absolom and his forces, fearing for his life, so contextually, the mind of the psalmist, David here…is it a very low place. Something that we can all relate to, as we can surely recall some point in our life where the walls are closing on us…possibly a bad word from a a court case, a sick family member, that terrible call from someone letting us know that a loved one has been killed in a car accident…just general low points in our lives where we feel hopeless and helpless, so that there is the mood that David is in when he is gives us this Psalm 3 entitled “Save Me, O My God”
Psa 3:1 A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son. O LORD, how my adversaries have increased! Many are rising up against me.
Psa 3:2 Many are saying of my soul, “There is no deliverance for him in God.” Selah.
So there, not only is David feeling low, but the masses seem to be mocking him, telling David not even God can save you, and the we segue into the second half of today’s Psalm which is starkly different that what the world is telling us about God, yet David ignores what the haters are saying, and puts his trust in God…
Psa 3:3 But You, O LORD, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head.
Psa 3:4 I was crying to the LORD with my voice, And He answered me from His holy mountain. Selah.
Psa 3:5 I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustains me
Giving careful note to that last part, David was able to sleep…if we are consumed with worry and anxiety, we are unable to sleep. If we think about those dark times we have been through, it involves many “sleepless” nights. But David after putting his trust in God says, I lay down and slept, and then I woke up…for the Lord sustains me. So not only did he get a good night’s sleep, but David also woke up, which means he wasn’t killed by his enemies overnight. God saved David because David went to God, just as God saves us when we trust in Christ.
Putting aside our fears, especially in the face of a world that openly mocks God, can be challenging to anyone, it is challenging to the Christian for sure, but let’s look at these circumstances David was about against. He is total retreat, so you gotta think his enemies have the advantage, the by standers are saying God can’t even save you David, but David resigns himself to the fact that God is gonna have the last word, David puts his trust in God, and God carries him through the storm. That last part of the verse should give us all comfort, The Lord sustains us when we put our trust in Him.
