Psalm 3-4:
Psalm 3: Save Me, O My God
A Psalm of David,when he fled from Absalom his son.
1O Lord, how many are my foes!
Many are rising against me;
2many are saying of my soul,
“There is no salvation for him in God.”Selah
3But you, O Lord, are a shield about me,
my glory, and the lifter of my head.
4I cried aloud to the Lord,
and he answered me from his holy hill.Selah
5I lay down and slept;
I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
6I 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
Psalm 4: Answer Me When I Call
To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.
1Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
You have given me relief when I was in distress.
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!
2O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?
How long will you love vain words and seek after lies?Selah
3But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself;
the Lord hears when I call to him.
4 Be angry, and do not sin;
ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent.Selah
5Offer right sacrifices,
and put your trust in the Lord.
6There are many who say, “Who will show us some good?
Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!”
7You have put more joy in my heart
than they have when their grain and wine abound.
8In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
Have you ever been in a bad season of life that felt like it kept getting worse? King David can relate to you. In Psalm 3 and 4 we find David in a situation where he is fleeing from his very own son, Absalom, who is trying to kill him for his crown. His situation was so desperate that David began to question whether God was even for him. He expressed that he felt:
That many of his foes were rising against him. (Psalm 3:1)
That his honor was being turned to shame because of lies about him. (Psalm 4:2)
That he was angry. (Psalm 4:4)
David expressed his despair and anguish to God, while still voicing the truth about who God is and what God has done:
“a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.” (Psalm 3:3)
“..he answered me.” (Psalm 3:4)
“..the LORD sustained me.” (Psalm 3:5)
“You have given me relief when I was in distress.” (Psalm 4:1)
“..the LORD hears when I call to him.” (Psalm 4:3)
“You (God) have put more joy in my heart.” (Psalm 4:7)
“In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.” (Psalm 4:8)
It is necessary to express our concerns to God. He can handle all that you are feeling. At the same time, it’s necessary to look back and remember all the times God has sustained you, showed up for you, comforted you, and protected you. Speaking these truths about God’s character and all that He has done can lead us ultimately to having peace and being able to lie down and sleep. There is peace that doesn’t make sense to the world because it is not dependent on our circumstances. And this is what God offers to us. He offers us the opportunity to give our worries and anxieties to Him and be dependent on His unchanging and unfailing character.
What difficult situation are you going through currently? Can you talk to God about it? What character traits of God do you need to remind yourself of today?
