There is a verse in Psalm 3 that has stuck with me since childhood. When my siblings and I were kids, my parents bought us a children’s coloring book called Psalms in Song. It came complete with a cassette tape, and, let’s just say that that little guy got a serious work out! I don’t really remember many of those songs anymore, but a little snippet of the melody from Psalm 3 is still floating around in my memory. The song talked about how even when times are sad and troubling, “He’s the glory and the lifter of my head.” I remember feeling comforted with the thought that Jesus would wipe away my tears and gently lift my chin. What would I see in His eyes?
So what’s the story behind Psalm 3? Here’s the whole Psalm from the English Standard Version:
A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.
1 O Lord, how many are my foes!
Many are rising against me;
2 many are saying of my soul,
“There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah[a]
3 But you, O Lord, are a shield about me,
my glory, and the lifter of my head.
4 I cried aloud to the Lord,
and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah
5 I lay down and slept;
I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
6 I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around.
7 Arise, O Lord!
Save me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
you break the teeth of the wicked.
8 Salvation belongs to the Lord;
your blessing be on your people! Selah
You can find the story of David’s son Absalom’s revolt in 2 Samuel 13-19. I won’t go too in depth here, but be sure to read the passage if you’d like more background information. Suffice it to say that King David was bitterly wounded by this rebellion. His own son conspired to kill him and take over the kingdom of Israel. And, perhaps not surprisingly, David opted to flee rather than engage Absalom in a conflict for the crown. But he was in mourning; he wept as he escaped to the Mount of Olives, trudging barefoot with his head covered–signs of his profound grief.
While David endured these miserable circumstances, he cried out to God, saying, “O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; many are saying of my soul, ‘There is no salvation for him in God.'” His situation was dire. But he didn’t give up hope! King David immediately follows his complaint with a declaration of truth and trust: “But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill.”
I love this so much! In the midst of one of the most shaming and humbling events of his life, David says, “But You God, You are my glory; You lift my head up when I am in humiliation and dishonor. You have heard my cry and You have answered me.”
I know none of us are strangers to deeply bitter troubles. Each of us has suffered. We’ve mourned losses. We’ve grieved injustice. We’ve wept, and we’ve wondered, “What does God think of all this?” In Psalm 3, God stoops down into the midst of our pain and answers, “I’m your shield when you’re attacked. I’m your glory when you’re humiliated. I lift up your head when you’re downcast. I answer you when you cry out to Me.”
I think it’s because David truly trusts that God Himself is the glorious answer to all his troubles, that he then says, “I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.” David lays down to rest because he trusts that God has protected him, and he has nothing to fear. What a beautiful testament to his trust in God as his shield! It’s no wonder that after asking God to “Arise!” and to defend him, that he steadfastly proclaims, “Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing be on your people!
It moves my heart to know that in the midst of the discouraging, disheartening events of my life, God Himself is the Lifter of my head. And when I look up into His eyes, I find everything my heart needs. Love. Grace. Mercy. Forgivness. Compassion. Strength.
For you, I pray that in the midst of your deepest struggles, God would meet you there. Whatever may be going in your life, know that your trust in God is secure. He is trustworthy, He hears your cries, and He loves you so much!
Be blessed this week.
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Beautiful Balance 