Faith or Fear – Psalm 3
Faith or Fear
Psalms For The Bride
Psalm 3
Like David, we all face adversaries who challenge us and the older we get the more there seem to be. Every morning when we wake up the choice stands at the foot of our bed; fear or faith? We can understand David’s opening thought is this psalm:
Ps 3:1-2 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.
God had forgiven David for his sin with Bathsheba but that didn’t mean that all the consequences of his actions were going to disappear. Here we find him facing an enemy that was near and dear to his heart. His son, Absalom, had led a growing revolt against him and they were many (2 Sam 15:6, 15). All David could do was cry out like Peter—Lord save me (Matt 14:28).
Every one of us has been there, standing in fear of the consequences of our actions. And at that moment we need to cry out, and after we do we need to utter selah. This is the first time the word is used in Scripture and it means to “lift up” or “be silent.” That’s what David meant, God was the only one who could lift him up in midst of his circumstance. He could only cry out and stand in silence and wait for God’s deliverance.
David felt totally alone in the face of the very one He loved that had turned against him. Sadly, that’s a story that is all too frequently repeated today. Jesus warned us that this is what we could expect… In this world you will have tribulation (John 16:33). And like David, when it happens to us we have two choices; run from God or run to Him.
As the bride of Christ we have been planted in the midst of an unbelieving world. The atheist says that God doesn’t exist, or if He does, He doesn’t care about us. Or, for those who acknowledge He exists, they say He’s either angry at us or isn’t able to help us because He’s too weak. It’s just that kind of skepticism from those around us that battles with our faith. But David reminds us that when fear stands at the foot of the bed to greet us first thing in the morning we have God’s protection.
Ps 3:3-5 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. 5 I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.
We can stand in faith because God is our “personal” shield (our defender) and He is the one who “lifts” us up (exalts, sets on high) in the face of our enemies, our fears. It’s in Him that we have our victory and He is our glory. In David’s world the word glory (kabowd) actually meant “weight” or “copiousness.” When his army went out to battle they went light, but when they came back victorious they were heavy with the spoils of the enemy.
When we’re facing fear and there is a temptation to “lower” our head, we need to remember that we “will be” victorious in Christ and so we need to let Him “lift” our head; let Him exalt us. David saw that victory in the restoration of his son (2 Sam 14:33) and, in turn, lifted up Absalom as God had lifted him up.
There is a strong message for the bride in that picture. We are to look at those in the world around us as future glory for the Lord and not as enemies to be feared. Remember, our battles are spiritual, and in the spirit we have the full armor of God to do battle with those who hold the world in unbelief.
So how do we accomplish that in the face of fear? David once again shows us the way.
Ps 3:4 I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.
When we cry out to God, pray in faith and are open to the Holy Spirit, we will always receive the assurance that He hears us. At that moment David lifted his prayers toward Mount Zion because that’s where God’s presence was; the Ark of the Covenant. Likewise our prayers need to be lifted up, not to an Ark but to our bridegroom who is seated on His throne in the New Jerusalem. And when we do we can expect the same result that David got.
Ps 3:5 I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.
Today, faith is such an underrated and overused word. The world puts it’s faith in whatever it finds comforting at the moment and how often they confuse it with hope. We know, however, that we need both; faith and hope. Hope is the setting we dial on the thermostat, but without the furnace—our faith—the temperature in the room isn’t going to change. David was able to “dial his temperature” and because of his faith he could lie down and sleep; his hope was secure. He knew that God would sustain—bear up, establish—him. David knew that God works on our behalf even while we’re sleeping.
In our times of trial we are also able to lie down and sleep because God is awake (Ps 121:3-4). We have His peace if we will give Him our burdens and He will be faithful to “keep” us in our sleep (Ps 127:2). And as a result:
Ps 3:6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.
As we stand in faith in His promises we won’t be afraid. And blessing is, in the process we grow stronger in Him because He never promised to change our circumstances, He promised to change us. It’s all part of the process of walking down the path to spiritual maturity. A maturity we need to grow into in order to successfully wage the s to tower over us, we need to emulate David:
Ps 3:7a Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God …
It’s at those times that we need to remember that Jesus has given us divine authority over the evil spirits that attack us (Matt 10:1). We don’t only have that authority; we also have the promise that He will hear our cry and save us.
I love what Martin Luther wrote in A Mighty Fortress Is Our God:
And tho’ this world with devils filled
Doth threaten to undo us;
We will not fear for God hath willed
His truth to triumph through us.
Our salvation truly does “belong to the Lord.” He is the one who delivers us from our enemies and blesses us. But note something that David closes with that is really important for us today:
Ps 3:8 Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.
Because of God’s grace to him, David pronounced the blessing on Israel. Delivering David from his fear wasn’t the end of the story. The result was that Israel received the blessing of God. It’s the same for us today—the bride of Christ. Jesus saved us from our His the body and the world around us.
As His bride we have been given a commission to reach out to the lost around us, see that they are baptized in Christ and teach them to become disciples. That’s why the enemy constantly battles against us. If he can keep us in fear of those who oppose us then he can keep the blessing for reaching those the Holy Spirit sets in our path. But we have a bridegroom who’s been where we are, walked in our shoes and knows our every weakness. The good news is that He doesn’t leave us there when the battle begins. He hears our cry, answers our prayers and defeats our enemies.
Selah!