Psalm 3:1-3 "LORD, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me. (2) Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah. (3) But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head."
Do you ever feel like you cannot take one more "ounce" of
pressure? Does it seem like every time you turn around, you are hit with
bad news? I remember a time when I dreaded hearing the phone ring. It seemed
wave after wave of bad news kept flooding against me. We live in a world
where struggles and trials are an everyday situation. David wrote this
particular Psalm when his own son, Absalom, rose up against him. He had
all the problems of being the king of Israel with outside enemies coming
against him and then to top it off, his own son was determined to overthrow
him. "LORD, how are they increased that trouble me!"
Can you identify with David and his struggles? Maybe not to the same
degree, but we all have trials and tribulations to go through. We believe
in the promises of God and here is one that we might not consider to be in the
"top ten" promises given by God. "In the world ye shall have
tribulation." (John 16:33) Yes, that is a promise, a sure thing,
that the Lord has told us. There is no escaping troubles in this life. Just as
David, some of his struggles were self-inflicted and others were forced upon
him. In those struggles, there are many around us and even sometimes in
our own minds that say, "There is no help for him in God." If
we only listen to that portion of the Word of God, we will constantly walk
around with our heads drooping down.
"In the world ye shall have tribulation.... There is no help for him
in God." Ah, but after that last phrase, we also see the word,
"Selah". That word means, "stop and think about what was just
said." Are we going to listen to those who try to throw us down and
keep us down? Or, are we going to stop and think about what the Word of God
tells us? Verse three tells us that God is "the lifter up of mine
head."
Think about a scene that is played out daily. A child does something for which
he is dreadfully sorry for doing. His head begins to droop down. But a loving
mother or father gently places their hand under his chin and lifts his head up
to say, "It's going to be okay." God does that very thing for
us in our times of sorrow and sadness. Yes, "In the world ye shall
have tribulation," but here comes the lifting up of the head for Jesus
said in that same John 16:33, "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but
be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." He spoke these words
that we can find peace in Him. Also in those words spoken by David, we know there
are those who would try to taunt us with the words, "There is no
help for him in God." BUT... (one of my favorite words of the Bible)... we
find the Lord saying to us, "The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear
what man shall do unto me."
When you feel down, understand the Lord hears our cries for help and He is
indeed, "the lifter up of mine head."