Hi, Friend, and thank you for joining me on a journey through the Book of Psalms!

Today, we’re studying Psalm 3, which is titled “Confidence in Troubled Times” in the Christian Standard Bible. On a personal note, I had hoped to address this psalm last week to stay on a 3-psalms-a-week timeline, but God knew I needed to dig into the truth of His safety and protection this week, so here we are.

Before we read this psalm of David’s, a little backstory may be helpful. For the full version, check out 2 Samuel, chapters 13 through 17.

Here’s the short version: King David is on the run from his son Absalom who has been playing a long-game (at least four years from what I can tell) to steal David’s throne. We see in 2 Samuel that David fully trusts God’s plan, even if God’s plan turns out to be to remove David from the throne, so, when it appears that Absalom is ready to strike, David takes the majority of those loyal to him and flees the royal city.

This psalm was written during their flight.

A psalm of David when he fled from his son Absalom.


1 Lord, how my foes increase!

There are many who attack me.

2 Many say about me,

“There is no help for him in God.” Selah



3 But you, Lord, are a shield around me,

my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.

4 I cry aloud to the Lord,

and he answers me from his holy mountain. Selah



5 I lie down and sleep;

I wake again because the Lord sustains me.

6 I will not be afraid of thousands of people

who have taken their stand against me on every side.



7 Rise up, Lord!

Save me, my God!

You strike all my enemies on the cheek;

you break the teeth of the wicked.

8 Salvation belongs to the Lord;

may your blessing be on your people. Selah

Unlike Psalms 1 and 2, which plead with mankind to seek and follow God’s way, Psalm 3 is a direct plea to God for His divine protection; it is a record of David’s prayer in a time of desperate need.

We can see in the first two verses that David is in a serious situation. He calls out to God, naming Him “Lord”, and calls God’s attention to the fact that he is facing an increasingly large attack. He shares with the Lord that people are saying that God will not help him. He ends the stanza with “Selah”. Before we focus on the verses though, let’s discuss “Selah” for just a moment because we’re going to see it in several psalms.

I’ve been seeing the word selah pop up in worship songs lately, and a fellow writer/teacher that I follow on social media uses it quite often. I wasn’t sure what it meant, so I spent some time looking into the word. Selah appears in two books of the Bible, Psalms and Habakkuk. Strong’s concordance notes that the original word used in the 74 instances of these two books means “to lift up, exalt”; it also notes that it directs the musician to pause or suspend the music.

As a worship vocalist myself, I have a special appreciation for the psalmist’s direction to the musicians/singers to pause, to lift up and exalt the Lord; it makes me think of those times when I’m singing to God in private worship and I just stop singing and look up, so filled with awe of Who God is and what He’s done and how very much He loves me despite how very little I deserve it. When I’m leading musical worship publicly, I feel like I can’t stop singing to take that pause when Holy Spirit leads (God and I are working on that), but I find myself lifting my hands and my face toward the ceiling, while my spirit is looking beyond the ceiling, upward toward my Heavenly Father who loves me and Whom I love. I also really appreciate when modern songwriters put in instrumental sections so we can pause the lyrics and lift our hearts and faces to the Lord and just be in awe of Him.

So, let’s go back then to David and Psalm 3.

As shared above, David begins by presenting his situation to the Lord, and on my first read-through, I found this really interesting, because it’s not like God doesn’t know exactly what David was experiencing. God is omniscient and omnipresent, knowing and seeing all things (Job 28:24; Proverbs 15:3). In fact, God not only sees what is happening everywhere, right now, but He knows even our thoughts and feelings, all that has ever happened and all that will ever happen and His plan prevails over all things (1 Chron. 28:9; Jeremiah 29:11; Isaiah 46:9-10).

David didn’t need to tell God his situation; God was not unaware.

And yet, David’s prayerful psalm includes telling God his situation and God included this psalm in His holy word, so there’s a purpose behind David’s sharing.

For me, the purpose rests in the “Selah” that comes right after.

David acknowledges his situation before the Lord. It’s kind of like saying, “God, I’m in trouble here, and from a human perspective, it’s pretty hopeless.” And then there’s this pause, a suspension of music, a lifting up of eyes and heart to the Lord, followed by an exaltation.

BUT YOU, LORD

David knows he’s in trouble, but he also knows that God is more than enough to overcome his trouble. He goes on in the next two verses to lift God up as his shield. To exalt God, to lift His name high by claiming that God is his glory – not his own strength, or his own military strategy, or the strength of the men who protect him – David’s glory was the Lord; he staked his name and life and reputation on the Lord. He cried out to the Lord with confidence that the Lord would answer. He has this confidence because the Lord is the One who lifts his head. Selah.

And friend, I’m going to pause us right here for today.

I don’t know what you’re facing today. I don’t know how many or what kind of troubles you have, but I know we all have an enemy, the enemy of our souls, who, even if he’s not attacking at the moment, is constantly conspiring against us. And I know that God knows our troubles, but, friend, can I encourage you today to be like David?

Pause today and just acknowledge your troubles before the Lord. Tell Him your doubts and your fears. David confessed to God, “Lord, people are saying you won’t help me; this is a hopeless situation”. Maybe part of you believes that’s true. Tell God. Pour it all out,

and then proclaim:

BUT YOU, LORD…

and lift up the name of the Lord God Almighty who longs to lift you up from your trouble, to answer your cry from His holy mountain. Name Him as your shield and your glory! Even if your confidence wavers at first, exalt His name again and again.

Repeat David’s example over and over – telling the Lord your situation, get gut-wrenchingly honest with Him. Say it aloud to Him or write it down. Yes, He already knows, but there’s power in bringing our troubles, our fears, and our doubts intentionally into God’s presence and just laying them down, crying out “But You, Lord!”:

This medical diagnosis is scary, but You, Lord, You have a good plan for me, my child, my spouse, my loved one…to prosper and not to harm, to give hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)

I don’t see how we’re going to pay all of our bills this month, but You, Lord, You made the heavens and the earth. Nothing is impossible for You! (Jeremiah 32:17)

The pain of what people are saying about me feels unbearable, but You, Lord, You are my shield and my refuge, and You will rescue me from every evil deed. (Psalm 91 ; 2 Timothy 4:18)

Sweet friend, God is longing to lift up your head. Will you lay down your troubles and lift up His name today?

I pray you will. Selah.

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