Shalom,
Our activities should be done with God, having in mind that it might also be a blessing for others. We are learning deeper about the Book of Psalm and today it’s from Psalm 3. It was written by King David and Bible translators gave the title: Morning Psalm (Prayer) to Face the Enemy.
Honestly speaking, it’s easy for us to neglect morning prayers for so many excuses, mostly because we don’t have enough time. Such wasn’t the case with King David. He prioritized morning prayers, seeking for God’s presence to get deliverance in times of need. No matter how great, rich or intelligent we are, without God’s help and presence, all is in vain.
King David was always victorious. Since he was a young boy when he was the shepherd for his father’s flock, he was able to drove out lions or bears that tried to prey on his father’s flock (1 Samuel 17:34-36). He won because he counted on the Lord.
How to feel the comfort in God’s protection according to Psalm 3 (A psalm of David when he fled from Absalom his son)?
- Surrendering all of our struggles to the Lord (vv. 1-2)
“Lord, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me. Many are they who say of me, “There is no help from him in God.” Selah.”
David admitted that he had so many enemies. Who are they? Besides his own son, there were Shimei who cursed him but he didn’t give any response (2 Samuel 16:5-8); and also Ahithophel, who told Absalom to sleep with his father’s concubines (vv. 21-22).
David also complained, “Many are they who say of me”. It means he became a target of gossip from people around him.
These days it was very easy to access any news including hoaxes. It even becomes prevalent nowadays to expose personal or family problems in social media in the hope that readers side with them, not realizing that it could worsen the situation as people may make it viral as public gossip.
It was different from David who always came to God in prayer to pour out his heart and his problems—murder threat, mockery, mentally destructive gossip. Although people scorned him, saying “There is no help for him in God”, his faith remained strong and his hope in the Lord never faded.
These generations—Gen Z (born in 1995-2010) and Gen Alpha (born in 2010 – 2025), are technological savvy. When sharing the word of God to them, the preachers need to use an interesting two-way communication; otherwise, they might switch the focus to their mobile phones and miss the blessing of the word of God.
Application: When we face much turmoil and no one extends uplifting comfort and support, instead they blame us for not having faith, let’s learn from David who didn’t retaliate against his enemies. Accept those things as a test while keep believing in the Lord who promises not to let us be tempted beyond what we can bear and to give us a solution (1 Corinthians 10:13). We should not focus on the size and weight of the problem, rather on our attitude in finding the solution.
- Having full faith in the Lord (vv. 3-6)
“But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head. I cried to the Lord with my voice, and He heard me from His holy hill. Selah. I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.”
David was having full faith in the Lord and he expressed it in his song which metaphorically said that God was a protective shield for him, and that He answered him from His holy hill. David was very certain that God’s power would bring him comfort.
When David said “I lay down and slept”, it doesn’t mean that he did nothing, being indifferent or apathetic; but he had done his part. When he was pursued by Absalom, David ran away from him and chose not to confront him because he knew that both he and his son got many followers, so he didn’t want them to become victims of their conflict.
Application: In any problem, doing nothing is not an option. But we ought to do our portion and let God do the rest. We just need to have faith that He is greater than our problem.
- Experiencing the fulfillment of God’s promise (vv. 7-8).
This was the outcry of King David when he had to face many enemies. This time his struggle was heavy because it was from his own family. Can you imagine an unbeatable king but had to run away from his own son?
Who was Absalom and why he wanted to kill his own father? David had 8 wives and 10 concubines. Absalom was his son from his wife Maacah (1 Chronicles 3:2). Absalom was furious when he found out Tamar his sister was raped by his step brother, Amnon (2 Samuel 13). David was aware of this incident but he didn’t take further action against Amnon. Absalom was deeply offended and decided to kill Amnon, then he fled. He resided in Geshur for three years. After his father’s grief over Amnon’s death subsided, he returned. Though he already killed Amnon, his hatred toward his father’s injustice was deeply rooted. So he provoked the Israelites to rebel against King David and to replace his father by himself as a king (2 Samuel 15). When David knew that the Israelites gave their support to Absalom, he fled to Jerusalem.
And what was David doing when he was escaping? He told everything to the Lord, and surrendered all his struggles to Him.
Application: For any parents who are now facing troubles because of their unruly and disobedient children, don’t give up. Tell everything to God in prayer and surrender all your struggles to Him.
“Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone; You have broken the teeth of the ungodly. Salvation belongs to the Lord. Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah.”
We can see that in the end, God helped David and set him free from all his troubles. God can do the same for us as well.
Problems may come but this is how to face them: never rely on our own strength and always involve God. Pray constantly in faith that eventually God will fulfil His promises and we may feel comfort in His protection. Amen.