Psalms Devotional Series: Psalm 3

Trust, response in lament

Psalm 3: 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

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

Trust: Response in lament

Here in the 3rd Psalm, we are given our first prayer and lament. A title attributes this psalm to David during the betrayal and saga of his son Absolom, which can be read in 2 Samuel 13-17.

A lament psalm is usually characterized by a prayerful response to an event in the writer’s life that deals with the pain, suffering, difficulty, trial, or humanness of the writer or their experience.

Here, amid David’s son seeking his life and throne, David affirms his trust in God.

You can trust God and still name your trials.

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

David is aware of the plots around him. He knows the danger that he faces. His trust in God is not in the absence or denial of difficulty. No, his trust in God is through his trials!

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

Those who know the Lord find confidence in his presence. Amid his trial, his faith resides in God. His circumstances do not sway David. He knows the heart of God and his desire to deliver him.

His foundation and shield is God.

⁵  I lay down and slept;
I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.

Those who put their faith and trust in God receive peace. God gives peace to those who come to him. He will sustain the one who comes looking for daily bread.

When troubles come, our reaction is often to use our power or ability to find a solution. Yet, resting in the sustaining power of God is the most powerful thing we can do.

⁶  I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around.

The story of Absolom is not a small inconvenience. David abandons his house and ends up on the run. Thousands of his people turned against him and supported his son.

Trust leads to confidence. Confidence gives us the gift of trading our fear for the peace of God.

David’s life of faith leads to lasting confidence in the face of great difficulty.

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

As he concludes his prayer, David affirms that it is and will remain the Lord’s power from where this confidence comes from.

God is the only one who can bring forth true salvation and blessing to his people.

For those in difficult times, when we put our trust in God, his confidence brings life to our brokenness. He will bring salvation and blessing to those who place their trust in him.

Details:

Genre: Lament

Book I

Attribution: David

Structure: Strophe

Themes: Assurance Blessing Courage Encouragement Evil Faith Glory God’s Faithfulness God’s Grace Providence Holiness Persecution Petitionary Prayer Salvation