The Surrounding, Sustaining, Saving Grace of God

Times of Trouble

When I was in my late twenties, I experienced a moment of crisis. Our family had just suffered the death of a close family member and for whatever reason, my heart grew troubled over my own mortality. I became so anxious I could not sleep for days. My body hurt and I could not turn off my mind. I was miserable. I was humiliated. I was defeated.

Those who did not care for me lined up to watch the spectacle. Here was a man who once had all the confidence in the world shivering like a beaten pup. I could see the whispering. I could hear the mocking. At one point I felt like I couldn’t hear from God. He seemed so distant and my life seemed so dark. I wept a lot. I begged for relief. The only thing I was left to be able to do was pray. In hindsight, Psalm 3, seems so relevant to my circumstances. I didn’t have eyes to see it then, but I can see it clearly today.

In your time of trouble, pray for God to surround you, sustain you, and save you by His grace.

David’s Problem: Surrounded by Enemies (Psalm 3:1-3)

David likely wrote this Psalm after reflecting on a family crisis that lead to a national crisis. Absolom, his son, turned the hearts of Israel away from his father. We read of Absolom’s betrayal in 2 Samuel 15. To understand why he did what he did, you need to go back several years in David’s reign to 2 Samuel 13.

David had a son named Amnon. He became infatuated with his half sister Tamar, which was Absolom’s full sister. One day he pretends he is sick and ask’s his father to have Tamar take care of his needs. When she comes to care for him, he forces himself on her in shame, and then wants nothing to do with her. David hears of this is does nothing. Absolom is enraged and swears he will avenge his sister.

Absolom waits two years to exact revenge on Amnon. He lurers him away from David to a party. He orders his men to stab him to death (it is eerily similar to Cain and Able). Then Absolom flees Jersualem to Geshur and stays there three years. After three years, David allows him to come back to Jerusalem and remain in the city.

It would be two more years before David would see Absolom. David suffered his daughter being shamed and the death of one son at the hands of his other beloved son. His heart was heavy, filled with grief and anger and sadness. His family was breaking apart and it was only going to get worse.

After David and Absolom met for the first time in five years, Absolom’s heart was hard toward his father. He hated David and he wanted to rip his kingdom from his hands. So he set a plan in place to overthrow his father’s throne. This is the context Psalm 3 is written. David is...

Surrounded by His Enemies

For the next four years Absolom stood at the gate and persuaded the men of Israel to turn their hearts away from David. Absolom was successful and at the right time, mounted a coup against his father.

David says in

Psalm 3:1 (ESV)

O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me;

David was forced out of Jerusalem with 600 men. It is possible that Absolom had over 12,000 men ready to fight. David was out numbered 20-1, and they surrounded him ready to kill him.

Surrounded by Sadness

This is not David’s first rodeo in the wilderness. He began his kingship on the run from Saul, which lasted about 13 years. But this time, David’s struggle is deeper, more personal, there is more inner turmoil.

David was weeping and walking barefoot up the side of Mount Olives. His heart was heavy, and when your heart is heavy your mind tends to wander, searching for why this is happening. I wonder if David thought back to his sin with Bathsheba. When God confronted David about his infidelity, God said the sword would not depart from his house; meaning that violence will always be part of David’s descendants. His family would suffer dysfunction. David is surrounded by his enemies in part because he acted like an enemy toward God. Your sin always has consequences. As a child of God, of course your sin is nailed to the cross, but that does not mean Gd will leave you to yourself. He is a good father who disciplines his children when they depart his ways. David’s sin brought God’s discipline, and as the writer of Hebrews says, no discipline is enjoyable at the moment. Fatherly discipline brings tears and heavy hearts.

David’s sadness runs deeper yet. God’s people will always have foes who rise up and come against the righteous. This will be the case until Jesus comes back to gather his people. What seems more difficult for David is that his foe is not an outsider like a Philistine, but it’s one of his own, his son. His own flesh and blood, an Israelite, rages against him. There is no hurt like family hurt, especially between a child and a parent. David’s grief was compounded by the reality that his heart was conflicted. On the one hand, David wants his enemies destroyed. On the other hand, how can he stand the thought of loosing Absolom? I know he thinks this way because later on in the story, David tells his second in command to spare Absolom. When that command is ignored and Absolom dies, David’s mourning and grief almost appear inappropriate to his men.

With David’s heart filled with grief and he is physically surrounded by his enemies and his heart is surrounded by sadness, David weeps and walks humbly up the Mount of Olives. His enemies send him a loud and clear message.

Psalm 3:2 (ESV)

many are saying of my soul, “There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah

Their message is, “David, you are no longer God’s anointed King. You are no longer a man after God’s own heart, a man of God’s own choosing. Yo0u have lost your kingdom and God has abandon you.”

One of the characteristics of the Psalms that I hold dear to my heart is how authentically human they are and how genuine they relate to my heart. I know David’s inner turmoil. Every human being on earth knows David’s turmoil.

How many times has your heart been broken by sin and hurt and pain and betrayal? How many times have you felt like you have no one on God’s green earth in your corner? How tempted have you been to feel like God himself has said to you, “I’m finished with you?”

Even in my Christian walk I have felt this way. How is it when you try to live righteously, being a man or women of integrity, making wise and good decisions, you get bombasted by wicked men who will kill your reputation, even your life, to keep their deeds in the dark? And of course their message to you is, “Where is our God now? He’s not here. He’s left the building. You have no hope. You have no salvation. You are as good as forgotten and dead. You should surrender, give up,, and die.” All of God’s enemies send that message to you, Christian.

Jesus heard heard this message. He healed all those people and raised the dead. Let’s see if he can save himself. Let’s See if God will take him off that cross. Jesus felt the weight that message. On the cross, when Satan was having his way and God appeared to be no where to be found, Jesus quotes Psalm 22:1

Psalm 22:1 (ESV)

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?

Oh how Satan loves to whisper in the ears of the saints, “Your God has forsaken you. He will not help you. Give up. Give in to your despair and die.”

Speaking to despair, William Plumer says,

“And of all temptations none are more dangerous than those which incline us to despair” William Plumer

There lies the heart of David’s problem. With all the inner turmoil, with his son betraying him, with his kingdom in jeopardy, and the message of his enemies tempting him to believe God has forsaken him, despair was overwhelming his heart. Despair is deadly. It was despair that killed both King Saul and Judas.

Here, in his despair, is where the truth of God shines so brightly. Surrounded by his enemies and sadness, God surrounds David.

Surrounded by God

David responds to his despair with truth about God. In the first two verses, he acknowledges his grief and fear. He shows us that he is human and he is broken and needy. His is outnumbered and he knows it. In verse 3, however, he pivots. He takes his eyes off his circumstances and squares them up on the Lord.

Psalm 3:3 (ESV)

But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.

David invoked God’s covenant name reminding himself that God promised he would never leave nor forsake David. David also acknowledges that God is his shield his source of protection. The imagery here is one of a shield bearer.

When Goliath came to battle against David, it was likely that he had a shield bearer, one who would hold a shield that was as tall and wide as the warrior himself. The shield bearer would go before the warrior and protect him from the enemies sword or arrows.

David realizes that even though he is surrounded by his enemies, God has surrounded him, and no one can defeat God’s armor.

Christian, what is true for David, is even more true for you in Christ. Christ is your shield bearer. He has deflected God’s wrath and has surrounded you in the power of the righteousness of his blood Jesus shields you from the fiery arrows of the devil protects your from all sides.

He has given you a shield of faith to sustain when you are assaulted with doubt. He has given you his truth to fight when deceit and temptation wail on you. He has given you the helmet of salvation to assure you that nothing can take you out of his hand. He has lavished his love on you be redeeming you in Christ so as to lift your head from shame to honor from despair to hope. Christ goes before you, beside you, and behind you. In Christ, you will face all kinds of conflict, trials, and tribulations, but take heart Christian, He has surrounded you. His shield will never be broken.

Knowing that God is his shield gave David hope, divine hope, which lead to divine courage. God’s truth about Himself does that for you. His truth gives you courage. Divine courage is what David needed to win the night. The night is treacherous when you are overwhelmed with turmoil.

William Plumer wisely reminds us,

“But true courage is not easily disheartened. Divine grace can give us the victory in the worst times.” William Plumer

The cross might be the greatest illustration we have ever seen of the worst of times. The Son of God is nailed to a cross and despised by the ones he came to save. The Father has turned his back for a time so that he who knew no sin could be come sin for us. Satan seems victorious as the sky darkens and the earth shakes. The Son of God is dead! Where is your hope now? The darkness has won!

Yes, for three days the enemies of God thought they had won the decisive battle, that is until that blessed third day, on Easter morning, when God rolled back the stone, and Jesus walked out of that grave. He’s alive! He has risen! The light has conquered the darkness. Death where is your sting? Death, where is your victory? With death defeated, what does Satan have against you? Nothing! Christ is your victory. Christ is your hope. Christ is your divine courage! Which makes Christ in your peace. Peace is the fruit of David’s faith in God.

David’s Peace: Sustain me God! (Psalm 3:4-6)

Peace is the fruit of the confidence David had in God’s salvation. Verses 4-6 reveal how David’s peace worked itself out.

Sustained Through Prayer

First, notice that he cried out to God. Prayer and courage and peace tend to go hand in hand. They feed off each other. David says,

Psalm 3:4 (ESV)

I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah

God hears the prayers of the righteous. He responds to his children who call upon Him to act. It did not matter that David was not in Jerusalem. He knew no matter where he was God’s sovereign hand was with him, and that His ears would hear him.

The short phrase “cry aloud” refers to both expressing a need for help and a cry of reliance. Prayer has the unique ability to express both your need and reliance on God to meet your needs. The fact that your praying and asking for God is confidence that God can do something about it. David knows God can protect him from his enemies and restore him to his throne, and David knows God will answer his prayer.

Don’t miss where David is praying. He is praying on the Holy Hill, the Mount of Olives. It is on the Mount of Olives Jesus is going to proclaim his ministry and message of salvation. The Mount of Olives is the place where Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Not my will but your will be done (Luke 22:34-59),” and received the courage and peace to stand up and face his captures and the cross, with joy nevertheless.

How beautiful is prayer on this side of the cross. Jesus has given you full access to the Father. You have his ear, his hands, you have his heart. Jesus’s work on the cross giving you His righteousness, allows you to enter the throne of grace with confidence to receive mercy and grace in the form courage and peace. When your heart is shored up with divine courage and God’s peace satisfies the anxiety of your heart, it is natural then for you to rest.

Sustained Through Rest

Rest is exactly what David does after he prays.

Psalm 3:5–6 (ESV)

I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.

I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.

David prays knowing God is his shield. He prays stirring up divine courage to keep the faith. Anxiety and fear do not rob him of his sleep. God sustains him through the night.

Willem VanGemeren sums up David’s prayer laden rest when he says,

“David’s commitment to God results in an abandonment of his problem to God. Though David was moved by the many enemies (vv. 1–2), prayer renewed his confidence in the One who will be victorious over the many. The psalmist knew that his glorious King and Father would take care of him, and with this thought he consoles himself and goes to sleep.” Willem VanGemeren

How does David rest?

David abandon’s his problem to God. God sustained David’s peace by taking the burden of salvation off his plate and putting it in His hands. David said, “I will not be afraid of the many thousands of people who have set themselves against me.” David is not going to fret about the battle or the consequences of the fight. God will be his refuge and strength, his ever present help in his time of trouble.

For Christ to sustain you, friend, you must abandon your problem of your salvation at the cross. Like David, you cannot save yourself. Christ must be your Savior. You might wonder, “Saved from what?” Your greatest enemy, death. When death comes you will be cast into the presence of a Holy God. It appointed for you to die once, then face God’s judgement. If you die in your sin, your rebellion against God, his holy wrath will break out against you and you will perish. Sinners cannot stand in the congregation of the righteous. The wicked perish like chaff (Psalm 1). You need a Savior, One who can take your sin and give you righteousness to stand before God. God provided your salvation in Jesus. God says you must repent of your sin, confess it, and ask for forgiveness. Then accept his gift of salvation in Jesus by faith believing that god raised him from the dead. Simply ask for it and believe he will give it to you. Friend, faith is how you abandon you problem of God’s judgment at the cross. Jesus said, “Come all to me who are weary and I will give you rest.”

For those in Christ, you know that every sin you’ve committed and every sin committed against you can be reconciled and restored at the cross. Jesus takes your problem and addresses it through His gospel power.

“The cross is where God’s justice and mercy meet perfectly to reconcile and restore sinners to God and each other through the redemption of Jesus Christ. The church is the perfect space to work it all out”

Working it all out is not a one and done process. The phrase “I lay down and slept; I woke again” is in the perfect aspect. The word sustained moves to the imperfect indicating that David did this habitually, and God sustained him over and over again. David prayed often for hope and courage and for God to deal with is enemies and his despair. Most of his Psalms are his prayers. And God answered him every time with sustaining grace. Habitual prayer helps sustain your peace in times of turmoil.

David’s prayer is not finished. David does not want God to just sustain his peace while trouble surrounds him. He wants God to end his trouble.

Davids Plea: Save Me God! (Psalm 3:7-8)

Psalm 3:7–8 (ESV)

Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.

Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing be on your people! Selah

Saved By God’s Strength

David expresses his hope is in God’s salvation. Arise, sovereign Lord. Lead the charge. Destroy my enemies and deliver me from their grasp. David is saying this in such a way as to pray it as if it has already happened. It’s no different than the farmer who prayed for rain and then went into his field with an umbrella. David is confident God is going to act on His behalf.

David wants God to humiliate those who would seek to destroy him by taking away their strength. The expression “strike my enemies on the cheek” refers to breaking their teeth. The imagery is likened to a lion whose strength is taken away because its teeth are missing or crushed (Psalm 58:6). David wants full and complete salvation from his enemies. And God did delver David from Absolom. Eventually Absolom is killed and David was restored to his throne. God’s power is absolute. No enemy can stand in God’s way, not even death.

After teaching the Corinthian Church about the resurrection Paul concludes, “O Death, where is you victory. Death where is your sting?” Jesus crushed it with his crucifixion and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:24-28).

For everyone who has put their trust in Jesus as their Savior, death is a conquered enemy. Jesus’s salvation is complete in you. You have his righteousness and you are no longer and enemy of God, but his son or daughter. You have an inheritance and you have eternal life with Him. All of that is won and sustained by God’s strength, the power of His resurrection.

Saved From God’s Judgment

David was vindicated in the. Absolom was not God’s king for Israel. He tried to usurp David, and God, and God judged Absolom. David was spared. Don’t be Absolom. God vindicates his people, and he will judge all of his enemies.

To those who reject Jesus, a day is coming when he will have final victory over all his enemies.

Hear Paul

2 Thessalonians 1:5–10 (ESV)

This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering—

since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you,

and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels

in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,

when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.

Paul described the day when Jesus comes back as a warrior King, riding in a white horse, with the name King of Kings on his thigh. Everyone who has rejected him will perish, away from the presence of the Lord. Just like David prayed over his enemies, Jesus will crush the teeth of all his enemies and bring a final and complete salvation to all who call upon his name. Today is the day of salvation.

Saved by Grace Through Faith

Had Absolom turned from his sin and repented, forgiveness could’ve been given. God is graciously offering you His salvation today. God will deal mercifully with his enemies. He will offer them his grace. Anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. God does not have to be your enemy. You can have his peace. You can have his salvation. Surrender your life to Him today and enjoy the grace he gives you in Jesus.

Psalm 3 teaches you that God will surround you, sustain you, and save you in your time of trouble. Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension, prove to you God is faithful to deliver you. In light of this, pray for divine courage. Pray for peace. Trust that Christ is give you his rest so that you can sleep well knowing your God will never leave or forsake you.