POSTURE OF FAITH

Psalm 3
“Lord, how many are my foes!
How many rise up against me!
Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.”
But you, Lord, are a shield around me,
My glory, the One who lifts my head high.
I call out to the Lord,
And he answers me from his holy mountain.
I lie down and sleep:
I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.
I will not fear though tens of thousands
Assail me on every side.
Arise, LORD!
Deliver me, my God!
Strike all my enemies on the jaw:
Break the teeth of the wicked.
From the Lord comes deliverance.
May your blessing be on you people.”

David wrote this Psalm as a response to experiencing being violently pursued by his own son, Absalom (2 Sam 15-16). In this Psalm we see how a man of God models genuine faith during chaotic and heart-wrenching circumstances. David felt completely overwhelmed by the weight of opposition:

“Many are rising against me” (Ps. 3:1); “many thousands of people...have set themselves against me” (v.6).

David is strengthened not by his own efforts of mustering up courage, because David knows that earthly help is worthless. Instead, he looks to God:

“But you, LORD, are a shield around me..” (v.3). Only then does David’s anxieties die away and he is able to sleep in peace once more (v.5). This is how our posture of faith should be.

God is our strength and protection from the storms of life. Trusting in God is the channel through which we can navigate chaos and heart-wrenching circumstances.

What threatens to overwhelm you today? What opposition, affliction or seemingly unanswered prayers threaten to steal peace?

We have an even greater source of calm than David did. The one whom conquered all sin and death and who sits at the right hand of the Father sees you and knows you as His very own.

Jesus allowed Himself to be truly overwhelmed by His enemies so that believers can be confident in every overwhelming experience they face.

Our confidence lies in the safe hands of a loving and mighty Heavenly Father who loves us and carries us through.