Many are saying of my soul, “There is
no deliverance for him in God.”
Psalm 3:2
Psalm 3 is a lament psalm written by David. The title reveals that he has fled from his son Absalom.
Right away, you probably understand why he would be troubled because you would also be if you had to run away from your own child.
But David doesn’t wallow in his sadness even though it’s tempting, I’m sure.
Instead, he turns to God and praises Him.
Why does David praise God when he is sad?
Let’s look at three reasons and how we can follow his lead.
Table of Contents
Why Does David Praise God When He is Sad?
David praises God when He is sad because He knows who God is and that He is ready to help Him. David had many occasions to be sad throughout his life and had learned that turning to the Lord worked every time. David knew God would sustain him and give him victory in His own way and timing. Furthermore, David trusted the Lord in everything and knew He deserved honor and praise no matter what was going on in his life.
David’s Troubles v. 1-2
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.”
King David’s problems began long before he had to flee from Absalom. They started when he sinned with Bathsheba and ordered her husband, Uriah, to be killed in battle.
Although David repented and God forgave him, he still suffered many consequences. For one, God told David the sword would never depart from his house and that his own household would rebel against him (2 Samuel 12:10-11).
And that’s precisely what happened. First, David’s oldest son, Amnon, raped his half-sister, Tamar. Tamar’s full-brother, Absalom, was so angry that he murdered Amnom.
Then Absalom ran and stayed away for three years. After he returned, it was another two years before his father, David, would see and restore him.
During those two years, Absalom grew bitter and found that some were sympathetic to him. When Absalom gained enough support, he staged a coup to overthrow his father’s kingdom.
David had to flee to the desert because his son wanted to kill him. Additionally, many who sided with Absalom were once David’s friends and allies. But now they were against him.
Some even said God wouldn’t rescue him as if he deserved what was happening to him.
As you can see, David’s life was falling apart. He was devastated by what his son was doing (2 Samuel 15:30). Initially, he mourned, but at some point, David turned to God while still hiding in the desert.
What do you do when your life is falling apart?
1. David Knows and Praises God for Who He Is – v. 3-4
But Thou, 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.
David took his eyes off his enemies and painful circumstances and turned to God. He began by remembering who God is–a shield around him (Psalm 5:12; 28:7).
This is not the first time David needed God’s protection. He already knew Him as a shield and protector.
David also knew God as his glory and lifter of his head (Psalm 62:8; 27:6). He was confident that the Lord would deliver him and not let him be put to shame.
Nothing he had on earth was as important as God. The Lord was his glory and restorer of joy.
And last, David cried out to the Lord. The Lord answered him from His holy hill (Psalm 34:4; 43:3). God’s holy hill is where He dwells and is synonymous with being in His presence or fellowshipping with Him.
How do you know who God is? Is He your shield? Your glory? And the lifter of your head?
Are you confident that He hears and answers you when you pray?
How does what you know to be true about God give you peace and a sense of security?
2. God Sustains David – v. 5-6
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.
Because David was confident in God’s protection and deliverance, he felt safe. He was able to rest and sleep soundly (also see Psalm 4:8).
In other words, David was not afraid. Even though his enemies surrounded him, he knew God was on his side (Psalm 27:3).
Do you know you don’t have to be afraid? You can say with the Psalmist, “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me (Psalm 118:6)?
If you don’t know that God is on your side, it may be because you don’t know Him. It begins with being made right with God through Jesus Christ or being born again.
RELATED > > > > > What Does It Mean to Be Born Again? – Let’s Ask Jesus
3. David Finds His Confident Hope in God – v. 7-8
Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God!
For Thou hast smitten all my enemies on the cheek;
Thou hast shattered the teeth of the wicked.
Salvation belongs to the Lord; Thy blessing be upon Thy people!
Finally, David was able to find his hope in God. He knew God as One who rescued and vindicated the righteous.
So, based on all he knew and his conviction that God was for him, he asked the Lord to rescue him.
He pictures his enemies like ravenous beasts baring their teeth and ready to pounce. He asks God to render them powerless and is confident He will.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary by John F. Walvoord & Roy B. Zuck [Victor Books], p. 793, says about verses 7&8:
These verses record David’s confident petition for complete deliverance from his enemies. Perhaps David was saying in verse 7b that God had always destroyed his enemies and therefore he prayed that God would do it again. However, it may be better to understand the verbs as expressions of his confidence–he was so sure that God would destroy them that he wrote it as if it had already happened.
Psalm 3
What We Learn From David
David was a man of God and a hero of the faith. God even called David a man after His own heart (1 Samuel 13:14).
He was honest with the Lord and saw His faithfulness in his life over and over.
Therefore, we have a lot we can learn from David.
We all have times when life falls apart. It may look different from David’s situation, but his response is one we can follow.
- Turn to God in honesty instead of letting your sadness have control.
- Remind yourself and praise the Lord that He is your shield–your protector and defender.
- Believe and praise God that He is your glory, the One you are in awe of and who is more important than anyone or thing.
- Trust and praise the Lord to lift your head and give you joy and peace amid your troubles.
- Know with certainty and praise God that He hears and answers your prayer for victory.
God did deliver David back to his throne in Jerusalem. You can read the whole story in 2 Samuel 13-19 or a poem about how his victory happened.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, praising God when you are sad is beneficial. It’s what David did and what you can do too.
First, like David, turn to God and talk to Him about your situation. Know that He is there and that He cares. You will have troubles in this life. You can try to manage them on your own or turn to the Lord.
However, don’t only cry out when you turn to Him; also praise Him for who He is and how He will sustain you. Doing this can give you a confident hope for victory. But it doesn’t mean you get to tell Him what the victory will look like.
Additionally, read through more of the Psalms. The Psalms are full of honesty and trust in the Lord. And you will always find the psalmists praising God in good and bad times.