Reading through Psalms

Those of you who know me, know I am an action, adventure, mystery type of guy. You might guess that I’d probably like the narratives of Scripture, as they’re full of those types of stories. If you guessed that, you would be right! But what you may not know is how much I love the psalms. I love the psalms because it so clearly helps me to see the character, actions, and promises of God. Reading psalms, I get to see how to interact with him; no matter what I am going through. We get to walk with the psalmist through the ups and downs of his life, catching a snapshot of David’s thoughts and prayers of his heart in the moments when he wrestled with his circumstances.

Psalm 3 is one of those psalms that feels like it should be written today. David wrote in the midst of serious suffering and family conflict. And right now there’s family brokenness and relational conflict all around us. You may read this psalm this week and also be dealing with deep brokenness in your relationships—in your family or friendships. A family member or a close trusted friend betrayed and maligned you, or seeks to do you harm. I personally have experienced these kinds of family conflicts in the recent past. It can be a place of great discouragement, darkness, and defeat. King David understood this too.

At first, the psalm appears to be about lament—and there is an element of that—but as the psalm continues, it becomes a victorious celebration of the character and faithfulness of God, which lifts David’s head and heart. 

David wrote this psalm when he was in deep conflict with his son Absalom, who was trying to usurp the throne and have his father killed. The psalm opens with David bearing his heart to the Lord; you can see and hear how overwhelmed he is. When he comes to God in prayer this way, it reveals what he knows and believes about God. In this moment, it’s that God is near and hears David’s prayers. I love getting a look at how David and God’s interaction over a very difficult problem plays out as the psalm continues. At first, the psalm appears to be about lament—and there is an element of that—but as the psalm continues, it becomes a victorious celebration of the character and faithfulness of God, which lifts David’s head and heart. 

One of my favorite lines is found in verse 5. “I lay down and slept, I woke again because the Lord sustained me.” In the midst of being pursued by Absalom, David slept. How crazy is that! As he sleeps David is helpless to do anything about his circumstances, yet he’s able to sleep because he knows that the Lord sustains him. WOW!! Don’t miss this. David lives out his belief that God is more than capable of handling family or relational conflict–his and yours. God will sustain you as well. You can give over control to him. You can rest in him. You can trust that he hears and acts for his glory and for the good of those who love him. 

As you read this psalm, meditate on what David says about God. Think about how you can apply those same truths to your relational conflicts. Pray, thanking and praising God for who he is in the midst of your suffering and conflict. May you experience him as he lifts your head, sustains, shields, and protects you today– in a powerful way. So that you can relinquish control and walk in peace even in hard times.