You, O Lord, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head.

Psalm 3 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Morning Prayer of Trust in God.

A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.

O Lord, how my adversaries have increased!
Many are rising up against me.
² Many are saying of my soul,
“There is no deliverance for him in God.” Selah.

³ But You, O Lord, are a shield about me,
My glory, and the One who lifts my head.
⁴ I was crying to the Lord with my voice,
And He answered me from His holy mountain. Selah.
⁵ I lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the Lord sustains me.
⁶ I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who have set themselves against me round about.

⁷ Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God!
For You have smitten all my enemies on the cheek;
You have shattered the teeth of the wicked.
⁸ Salvation belongs to the Lord;
Your blessing be upon Your people! Selah.

The psalmist says:  O Lord, how my adversaries have increased! Many are rising up against me. Many are saying of my soul, “There is no deliverance for him in God.    In our culture and society, as believers we can relate to what David says. Adversaries of those who believe are increasing. David was pursued by his own son Absalom. Today often family and friends oppose our Christian values and beliefs. They too say there is no deliverance in God; even that there is no God at all.

The psalmist says:   But You, O Lord, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head.  I was crying to the Lord with my voice, And He answered me from His holy mountain. I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustains me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people Who have set themselves against me round about.   In Luke 21:10-28 Jesus says:  “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for My name’s sake. It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony. So make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves; for I will give you utterance and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute. But you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death, and you will be hated by all because of My name. Yet not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives… There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”   Like the psalmist, in the midst of the chaos and turmoil, rather than looking around us, we need to look up. We need to straighten up and stand, shielded by faith in the Lord. In John 16:33 Jesus says:  “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”   We have peace knowing that we have more than all that this world has to offer. Our inheritance is in Christ. Ephesians 1:3 says: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.

The psalmist says:  Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God! For You have smitten all my enemies on the cheek; You have shattered the teeth of the wicked. Salvation belongs to the Lord; Your blessing be upon Your people! In John 19:30, when Jesus was on the cross, it says:  He said, "It is finished!" And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.  Everything that will happen in this life has already been covered by the blood of Christ, through the finished work of the cross. He has overcome all of the chaos and tribulation that the world has to offer. Romans 8:31-39 says:   What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?  He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? … But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

O Lord, how my adversaries have increased! Many are rising up against me. Many are saying of my soul, “There is no deliverance for him in God.” But You, O Lord, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head. I was crying to the Lord with my voice, And He answered me from His holy mountain. I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustains me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people Who have set themselves against me round about. Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God! For You have smitten all my enemies on the cheek; You have shattered the teeth of the wicked. Salvation belongs to the Lord; Your blessing be upon Your people! Amen. Thank You heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ and precious Holy Spirit for the finished work of the cross. Every trial and tribulation the world has to offer has already been overcome in Christ, so I will look up and stand in faith. Amen.