Reading Psalm 3 this
morning, I paused when I got to one of my favorite Bible verses: “But
you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.” Once again I found myself reading a very
familiar passage in a new light. At the
beginning of the psalm, David writes of his fears for his life. Adding to his distress was the fact that his
enemy was his own son. We probably can’t
begin to grasp what this was like. How horrid to be a king on the run from his
own son! Hopefully none of us are
dealing with such life and death issues.
In reading this psalm is
seems that David was writing these words after a period of fear-filled
sleeplessness. We, too, certainly know
sleepless nights when our worries of the day are magnified, causing us to toss
and turn. That’s when I read “my” verse
differently. In the midst of our tossing
and turning, worries and anxieties, can we, like David, turn to God with that
level of confidence, that deep knowing that God really is a shield for us, our
protector?
After David’s proclamation
of God’s sovereign protection, he writes:
“I lay down and slept; I woke
again, for the LORD sustained me.” Fear for his life was replaced by the
awareness of God’s protection and presence and he slept. And woke again! He wasn’t attacked while he slept. He didn’t have to stay awake and alert,
keeping watch because he KNEW his God was watching over him. He lay down and slept.
On this third day of this
new year, God alone knows our future. He
alone knows the trials and struggles, the joys and celebrations, the sorrows
and fears that are ahead. We should resolve to keep this verse close at hand
and close to our hearts for the days – and nights – ahead. Pray and meditate on the words until it
becomes as true for us as it was for David so that in the days to come, we can
know that God is our shield, our protector; we can lay down and sleep in peace
knowing we are in his care.
At the same time, it’s
important to remember that this God is also the one who delights in his children,
who exults over us with loud singing (Zeph. 3:17). Let’s resolve to get to know God as not only
our help in trouble but the God who loves us, delights over us and longs to be
in relationship with us. Let’s walk out the days of 2014 (and beyond) growing
in our knowledge and understanding of God’s presence, his peace, and his love
for us.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all
understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil.
4:7)
