Reflection on Psalm 3 - "Having a Conversation with God"

Prayer is basically a conversation with God. We can have a conversation with God at any time of the day. And the most crucial time to have a conversation with God is when we are feeling heavy, anxious and uncertain.

Sometimes we can feel the world is against us. There are too many things to do. Our workplace has become very difficult. Our school work is just too hard. There are a lot of family issues to deal with. The bills keep coming in. We’ve just got ourselves well, and now we feel sick again. People are saying things! Everything seems to be going wrong. Then there’s still this and that decision to make. We can feel let down by others. We can offer help, encouragement and forgiveness, only to have it thrown back in our face. And we can think that we’re losing our grip on the things that matter most to us. We’re so anxious we don’t seem to be effective in anything we do anymore.

The tradition generally attached to this psalm is that King David composed these words at the time when he was being betrayed by his son Absalom, and he felt he was losing his grip on the nation he felt called to reign over. You can check this out in 2nd Samuel chapter 15 onwards. Absalom, although he had been allowed back into King David’s favour following an earlier transgression, plotted a rebellion against his father, which was supported by northern tribes in Israel, and initially was successful. David had to flee in fear of his own son and what he might do. When this rebellion ultimately failed, David would have to endure sorrowful distress at the death of his son Absalom, which had happened against his instructions. [David did not want to execute revenge against Absalom – he just wanted his own life to be protected, his reputation restored, and his future assured.]

We could see David here as an innocent sufferer, but of course, because of his own misdemeanours, which would have significantly affected his family, we might consider later events as the sort of consequences that would not be entirely unexpected. David’s bad behaviour as a father on an earlier occasion would have had an influence on the behaviour of his son (who would have been looking to his father for an example to live by). Sometimes we are innocent of blame, and cruelly the target of others’ attacks. Other times we have somewhat sowed what we are reaping – yet this does not stop God wanting to hear from us and set things back on an even plain. We should not let any guilt or shame we feel further separate us from God’s restorative activity.

So, in such a time of heaviness (that has been described) we need to be in constant conversation with God. We would be laying it all out on the line. How we feel! Where our concerns are! What the consequences seem to be! We’re looking for a solution, where there seems to be no easy answers! We want to hear from God some new insight. We want God to be active around us, bringing about change and a better outcome than seems altogether possible.

We talk to God, as David did (v.1), about all that seems to be going wrong. One thing on top of another that is really weighing us down. Where indeed it does seem everyone and everything is against us. As our desperation grows, and even God seems to be momentarily quiet, it appears that fingers are being pointed at us, and people are saying: ‘See, God can’t really care about you, look at your predicament’! ‘You’re stuck with it too – God’s not going to help you’! When we hear: "There is no help for you in God" … this could mean that people are saying one of three things …
· there is no God, and that is proved by the state you are in
· that God doesn’t care, because you’ve got in so deep, or
· that your situation is far too bad for God to be able to do anything about it.
They would be thus suggesting that either God doesn’t exist, or if God does exist, God is limited in love or power. Most of us would know that none of these scenarios are actually true.

So, despite what we hear, and despite what we sometimes feel, and despite appearances, in the same breath that we expose these thoughts of abandonment, we can throw them aside in the firm knowledge that God is not only present in our situation, but already acting as a “shield”, acting as our “glory”, lifting up our head (v.3). We have taken up prayer, and God is already listening and acting. Without this ongoing conversation with God, the sentiments of the first two verses might remain and destroy our spirit, but the person of faith and prayerfulness can rest assured that God is answering in his loving mercy and steadfast righteousness. G. Campbell Morgan wrote: "A consciousness of the constancy of the Divine love has always been the strength of a trusting soul amid circumstances of the greatest peril".

The Lord being a “shield around me” > this is a shield of protection. It doesn’t mean that we won’t take any hits – we know that our human state is always quite vulnerable. It means that ultimately God’s purposes will not be foiled in the case of those who keep in communication with God – those who keep hanging in there. We have God’s angels waiting on us – seeking to keep us on God’s path. Imagine how lost we would become without God in our lives – it doesn’t bear thinking about!

The Lord being “my glory” > someone’s ‘glory’ normally refers to their reputation. If we bring ‘glory’ to God, this is about enhancing God’s reputation. In this case it is God protecting and enhancing our reputation through God’s involvement in our lives. Whereas we can make a real hash of our own reputation left to our own devices, yet with God intervening on behalf of our good reputation we have some chance of keeping it reasonably intact. And God would certainly want to perform this function, because being a follower of Jesus, our reputation and his are closely intertwined!

The Lord “lifting up my head” > all the complexities mentioned earlier can have the effect of making us drop our head, give in to dejection and depression, generally feel the weight of the burdens on our shoulders. The very knowledge of God’s presence in our life conversation, keeps our head up … focussed on the road ahead, and even lifts our head further … towards God’s purposes for our future. "As soon as we give [God] freedom to act on our behalf, we see Him become our redeemer" (Frances Hogan).

When we cry aloud to the Lord as David did (v.4), some may think us strange, some may think us weak (like we need a crutch), but we ourselves know that God answers. Whereas God’s response may not come immediately, or in the way we expect, it will come at the right time and certainly in our best interests. It usually comes while we’ve started taking a few faithful footsteps forward – showing that we are prepared to be part of the solution ourselves.

Speaking aloud is sometimes very helpful in bringing change in our dicey situations. Rather than just praying under our breath or casually in our minds, speaking out in the presence of trusted others can generate change as never before. A burden shared is a burden (at least) halved!! In the church community we can cooperate with God in sharing the weight of each other’s load.

Having applied all of what David knows about God to the depth of the complexity of his situation, he can find some inner peace (even in the midst of his distress) – v.5. David can get the sleep he needs, and then wake refreshed, knowing absolutely that God has heard him and God is with him. All those tens of thousands of hovering foes mentioned at the beginning, although still there and encircling him … will now cause David no real fear. God can dismantle all fear! Even though the opponents could now be numbered in the thousands, these are insignificant where God is on one’s side. Ultimate victory is assured! Whether our particular problems in life are people, or simply circumstances, or come as a result of poor decision-making in the past, we can cry aloud and experience God’s liberating presence.

What can verse 7 mean? We are taught by Jesus to love our enemies, and that revenge is just not on! Jesus himself exampled this by forgiving his executioners from the cross!! Verse 7 means that we are ultimately reliant upon God for our welfare, so we will leave what happens to our adversaries in God’s hands. We can own our raw feelings about such people … and what we might like to happen to them, yet leave such outcomes completely in God’s hands (which includes accepting different outcomes than the ones we would have chosen). Our feelings of anger towards those who mocked us in verse 2, might lead us to want them silenced forever through permanent facial injuries (v.7b). Yet, here, all vindication is relinquished to God!

Verse 8 provides us with firstly a very brief summary of the theme of the psalm, followed by another interesting observation. “Deliverance belongs to the Lord” > meaning:
· being released or gaining freedom from whatever has been dominating us or complicating us or holding us back;
· also meaning being liberated, rescued or gaining salvation toward a much more wonderful future;
· also meaning being forgiven, accepting forgiveness, feeling forgiven, and, being able to forgive ourselves.

This all “belongs to the Lord” > meaning we receive it [deliverance] only through God – not possible in our own efforts alone. Yet, God is so willing to grant it to those in ongoing conversation or “established communion” (G. Campbell Morgan) with Him. As David found, it [deliverance] will already be there present, as we communicate with God (and sometimes others) about all the dilemmas we face.

Then, from the second part of verse 8, we see that it is as each of us: converses with God, relies on God for this “deliverance”, and learns to bear one another’s burdens, that God’s blessing will be collectively visited on our church community, and will thereby be fully appreciated by the general community around us. Those who may have previously said … "There is no help for you in God" (and could have really meant ‘There is no help for me in God’) may actually discover that there is help and there is hope after all! God is real, and God’s love and power are unlimited.

May God’s blessing be upon all people!
Deliverance belongs to the Lord.