Psalm 3 Thou Art a Shield for Me

Psalm 3 is a message we need to burn into our hearts and minds so that no matter what happens in life we can respond in faith and with courage.

It begins with mocking words: 

Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! Many are they that rise up against me. Many there be which say of my soul, there is no help for him in God.

The psalmist replies with his testimony - a statement of faith:

But thou, oh Lord, are a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head. I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his Holy hill. I laid me down and slept. I awaked; for the Lord sustained me."

I particularly like this psalm because of those words: "I laid me down and slept."

I have found over the years that my sleep is a reflection of my mental and spiritual health. And if my faith were to be rated by the quality of my sleep during difficult seasons of my life I would not have a passing grade.

Strange dreams and nightmares come randomly but their frequency during crisis increases dramatically. My mind continues to worry even when I manage to fall asleep and to be honest sometimes that sleep is Unisom induced.

So I am impressed that the person who wrote Psalm 3 - in his time of trouble - could lay down and sleep. To me that says everything. He knows God lives and cares for him. He communicates with God and shares his burdens and troubles there. He is confident the Lord will sustain him through his present storm in life.

My heart has always been touched by church music. It has a power to call me, to uplift me, to open my heart to the Spirit. I find that I am particularly drawn to the hymns that speak in the first person. They give me a voice for bearing my own testimony and for speaking the words that I have trouble verbalizing. The Psalms are so often written in the first-person and are powerful when spoken aloud. Here is an example from this Psalm.

Psalm 3:3

But thou, O Lord, are to a shield for me, my glory, and the lifter of my soul.

Hymn # 89 The Lord is My Light

The Lord is my light; then why should I fear?

By day and by night His presence is near.

He is my salvation from sorrow and sin.

This blessed assurance the Spirit doth bring.

Psalm 3:4

I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his Holy hill.

Hymn #104 Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me

Jesus, Savior, pilot me 

Over life's tempestuous sea.

Unknown waves before me roll,

Hiding rock and treacherous shoal.

Chart and compass come from thee.

Jesus, Savior, pilot me.

Psalm 3:4

I laid me down and slept. I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.

Hymn # 136 I Know That My Redeemer Lives

I know that my Redeemer lives.

What comfort this sweet sentence gives.

. . . He lives to bless in time of need.

Elder Holland gives a different and also helpful interpretation of the verse that speaks of sleep: "Not all problems disappear with a night sleep, but our ability to face them and see more constructive approaches to them improve dramatically with rest. . . Don't make important decisions or try to resolve serious problems when you are exhausted. Get some sleep. Your mind will be refreshed and your spirit will be quickened. You will have new strength for the task. God will hear you in His Holy Hill and with a lifted head you will see a new day dawning."