Read Psalm 3 in your Bible.
David wrote this psalm in regards to his fleeing from
Absalom, which is recorded in 2 Samuel 15-18.
This psalm can therefore be applied to anyone who has experienced
betrayal. David’s enemies were not only
numerous, but they were also attempting to undermine his faith. Every Christian experiences this at least
once in his or her life. If it hasn’t
happened to you yet, it will. We have
enemies everywhere. They not only seek
to destroy us (like ISIS currently), but our enemies also seek to undermine our
faith (atheists like the infamous Richard Dawkins). However, in spite of the war against us, like
David, we have hope in the Lord’s presence and preservation.
A shield
gives us the image of a shield in front of one’s body as it absorbs
death-threatening blows in hand-to-hand combat.
Christ is our shield, for He took the blow of death for us, and we thus
have hope in the resurrection of the dead (refer to Romans 6:3-7, 10-11). While in the midst of persecution, we recall
this hope and call upon the Lord for deliverance. Indeed, He answers our call as we trust and
rely on Him, just as David did on numerous occasions. David’s confidence in the Lord’s preservation
enabled him to sleep in spite of his life-threatening predicament. When we face overwhelming worry, stress, and
anxiety, many of us suffer from insomnia.
But complete confidence in the Lord’s preservation can soothe one’s mind
and enable sleep. How do we know that we
can trust in His preservation? Go back
to the end of the second psalm: “Blessed
are all who take refuge in Him.” There is no distinction. Because we have the hope in Christ who is to
come again, we can experience a lack of fear in spite of our thousands of
enemies. Anyone who is not in Christ is
considered an enemy of God (James 4:4), and therefore our enemies. So we are literally surrounded by enemies,
both known and unknown. But how many of
us are afraid of this reality? I’m not afraid
because of the hope I have in Christ, and from God’s preservation in the
past. I know that He will continue to
preserve me. This is only possible
through the peace of the Lord (John 14:27), and I pray that you all experience
this peace.
We
experience God’s preservation either through Him preserving our safety in the
midst of trouble or danger, or by Him wiping out our enemies. People use the existence of suffering as
“evidence” of either God’s non-existence or that He is hateful or indifferent
rather than loving. Such people ignore the
evidence of His preservation. Let’s use
World War II as an example. The atheistic
argument proposes that God allowed Hitler to reign, therefore God is either
hateful, indifferent, or simply doesn’t exist.
(It is hilarious that those who don’t believe in God presume to fathom
His character.) However, is Hitler still
in reign? Obviously not, for through the
efforts of the Allied Forces, God preserved His people (Jewish and Gentile
alike). Since the human concupiscence is
to sin since childhood (Genesis 8:21), we have the natural tendency to view
evil as an absence of God when God is always active. Evil is not the absence of God altogether; it
is the absence of God’s love and good in the human heart. Where evil is present, God is not inactive. Rather, it is where He is the most active,
for no evil act lasts forever. Just because
we can’t immediately recognise His presence doesn’t mean He’s not there.
David
accentuates our hope in Christ at the end of this psalm: Salvation comes from God, which is effective
through the works of Christ, in whom we have hope.
Psalm 3 Prayer
In the case
that you fear for your safety, be it life-threatening or just from overwhelming
worry, anxiety, or stress, here’s a prayer I’ve prepared: Father, please keep me safe. In Your mercy, preserve me. I trust in Your preservation. If it be Your will that I come home to You,
so be it. But if it be Your will that I
continue to dwell amongst my enemies [or suffer through anxiety, etc.], I ask
that You guard over me and grant me solace.
[If you suffer with insomnia]: Father, like David, grant me Your peace so I may sleep, that I may battle this anxiety and continue my living tomorrow, and each day that follows. Grant me rest, O Lord. Help me to be resilient so that I may win the battle of anxiety. Lord, thank You for Your preservation, and thank You for Your salvation through Christ. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.
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