Psalm 3: 1 Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! 2 Many are saying of me,“God will not deliver him.”b 3 But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. 4 I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain. 5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. 6 I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side. 7 Arise, Lord! Deliver me, my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. 8 From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people.
Today’s Three Pearls
- …Many foes, trouble in droves and the verdict is out that “God will not deliver”- v.2: Those who have not experienced how God works are quick to despise and write off a christian in prolonged affliction. But a worse distress than the boasting from the enemy camp is for that man to feel abandoned by His own God, especially if he knows in his heart that his conscience was not always clean, as David knew. The humanity of this emotion is exemplified by even a sinless Jesus asking why God had forsaken him at the height of His pain. The remedy is to do what David did next (v.3) in the context of the new covenant in Jesus: Remind God that He is the most perfect Defence, Honor and Joy of any Christian; confess one’s sins and remind oneself that one can no longer be condemned because of the grace of righteousness in Christ; renew one’s confidence by recalling previous answered prayers and ask the Holy Spirit for directions and strength for next steps.
- I called out to the Lord, He answers me – v.4: The direct conversation with God in prior verses changes to a third person narrative through verse 6. The importance of testifying of God’s victories on our behalf and answered prayers is seen here. This may be uncomfortable at times but we are told by Paul that our experiences are to be used to benefit and help others to enable a multiplication of glory to God. It is never about us as individuals but about God’s plan to touch others. Wisdom is seeing things as God sees them, and carrying out His plans.
- I will not fear the thousands around me -v.6: David does not underestimate the number or worldly wisdom or cruelty of his enemies, but he is quick to request that God stand up for him and turn them into toothless bulldogs. Across the globe, there are Christians who are uncomfortable with the idea of recognizing the reality of evil and demonic activity, and then there are those who attribute too much power to these forces and live in constant fear of them, as if Christ’s victory on the Cross has not rendered them into same toothless bulldogs. The key is a balance: Acknowledging evil and the enablers of evil, (in spirit and in flesh, overt and covert) and immediately putting them in their proper place, under the feet of a triumphant Christ.
Hilltop Thoughts, Valley Strengths 