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Daily Devotion: Psalm 3:1-4

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Psalm 3:1-4    "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.  (4)  I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah."

There are two points in these four verses where David stops and tells himself, (Selah) "Think about this." If we aren't careful, we will get caught in the trap of listening to the wrong voices. We tease sometimes about hearing all those voices in our heads, but the reality is that there are times in our lives when we listen to the voice of sadness, anger, jealousy, disappointment, discouragement, and such like. We have to be careful and, if necessary, stop to analyze what our minds are saying. For a period of time, evidently David had been listening to the wrong voices even to the point of despair. You see, if we listen too often to those voices, we will think ourselves to be outnumbered and completely helpless. We can even come to the place of thinking in agreement to them, "There is no help for him in God." Yes, we can think that even God has turned away from us. David's own son, Absalom, had turned against him and tried to overthrow him as king. You can understand why he would have fallen into such a state of darkness.

But then it's like David shakes himself, "SELAH!" (Exclamation is mine) Stop and think about this! Yes, they are increased that trouble me, "But thou, O LORD...."  Never discount the "but's" of the Bible. There is always a way of escape from every temptation that confronts us. See 1 Corinthians 10:13. We may feel ourselves to be in darkness, but there is Light to be experienced when we realize the great truth that God has promised never to leave us nor forsake us. The world and Satan may try to convince us that there is no help for us, "But thou, O LORD..." We may feel sad and dejected, "But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me." You, O LORD, deflect all those fiery darts of Satan that are hurled at me. "But thou, O LORD, art ... my glory." You are the ONE, and ONLY ONE, Who restores that hope and assurance to me. My head and knees may feel weak and low, "But thou, O LORD, .... art ... the lifter up of mine head."  You are the One Who gently places your hand under my chin and lifts my head back to the place where I can see your glory and have the joy of thy salvation restored back to me. Then David adds, once again, "Selah."  Think on these things!

When darkness veils his lovely face,
I rest on his unchanging grace;
in every high and stormy gale,
my anchor holds within the veil.

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand:
all other ground is sinking sand;
all other ground is sinking sand.

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