Psalm 3: What Do I Do When I Am Overwhelmed?

Introduction

Swarm of bees at house - Came from out of nowhere.

Life comes from out of nowhere. Loss of a loved one, diagnosis of cancer, etc. It’s overwhelming.

Being overwhelmed with life can cause us to be depressed or despondent. Or, when you’re overwhelmed with life you become frozen - you don’t know what to do so you do nothing.

Or, when you’re overwhelmed you become fearful - fearful of what others might say to you or think about you.

It feels like your world is collapsing around you, and your emotions are all over the place.

If you feel overwhelmed this morning, you are not alone. Psalm 3 written by King David during a time in his life when he was absolutely overwhelmed.

Psalms like Psalm 3 help us to understand what was going on in David’s heart when he was going through a very difficult season in his life. - like a personal journal entry that gives us a window into his soul.

This morning, four ways to respond when you feel overwhelmed with life.

Keep on moving forward.

Superscription - Written when David fled from his son Absalom - probably the darkest time in David’s life. (Probably Ps. 3 - 5 cover this period.)

If Psalms are telling David and Israel’s story through poetry, why start here? This is late in David’s kingship. Psalms not a strict chronology of the events of David’s life.

Psalm 3 - David’s enemies are his own people AND his own son. David is God’s anointed king in his generation, but he is being rejected as king by his own son. Talk about being overwhelmed!

Psalm 3 - Powerfully introduces the theme of Book 1 - In his suffering David holds on to the true King - God Himself.

Absalom - 2 Sam. 12:11 - After David sinned with Bathsheba, the Lord told David through the prophet Nathan that his own house would rebel against him. That’s exactly what happened.

Absalom’s sister, Tamar, was raped by her brother Amnon. It angered David, but he didn’t do anything about it. Absalom took matters into his own hands. He had Amnon killed, and then Absalom fled.

Absalom eventually returned from exile, but David refused to see his son for two years.

Ultimately, Absalom rebelled against his father. Handsome and persuasive, Absalom turned the hearts of the people from David to himself.

Ultimately, David fled from Jersualem. As he fled, Shimei from King Saul’s family, cursed at David, threw stones at him and accused him of being a worthless man who brought about his own downfall.

For David, it was traumatic and humiliating. Everything he had spent his whole life working for was suddenly gone. Amnon had been murdered. Tamar had been raped. Absalom had betrayed him.

David cries out, “O Lord, how many are my foes...” (Ps. 3:1)

vs. 2 - many saying “no salvation for him in God.” Ps. 1:1 - a company of mockers mocked David. “Your God doesn’t care about you. There’s no hope for you now. God won’t save you.”

Selah - Pause? Get louder? Think about the words you just read. The greatest king in the history of Israel overwhelmed and broken before God. He feels like he’s done. How did he get here? And… was God really done with him? Was there no salvation for David?

vs. 3 - “But you, O Lord, are a shield around me...” Covering David

Shield - a whole body shield - meant to be used as you move forward NOT backwards.

“God, as I move forward by faith - you are my shield.”

Overwhelmed, but NOT hopeless.

Move forward? Continuing to believe in a promise that from his lineage would come a King that would rule forever - and that King was not Absalom - The promised One was not one who tried to usurp the throne.

The God of the Promise shielded David - He took REFUGE in God his shield. (Psalms presents David in two ways: as a type of the Promised King and as one who takes refuge in the Promised King.)

If God is your shield - you can move forward by faith when you are overwhelmed. NOT retreat. NOT give up. Keep on moving forward.

With your eyes wide open. Expect to be overwhelmed. Sometimes the consequences of your sin overwhelm. Sometimes life’s problems are too big for you to handle. Sometimes the sinfulness of others overwhelms you. Don’t retreat. Acknowledge the battle. Repent where necessary. (Going to beach with eyes wide open - not about rest - field trip not vacation)

With your life protected. God is a shield. He takes the blows. You’ve seen people walk by faith with tremendous faith even in pain because they know God is protecting them. Absalom ultimately warring against God’s plan. God will be faithful to His plan in your life. You can move forward.

With your heart determined. I’m going to obey God even when it’s hard. Even when people come against me. Life gets hard - we doubt. We drift. We disobey.

Overwhelmed? I get it. Get up. Being overwhelmed doesn’t excuse you from trusting God and walking in faith. You have a shield protecting you as you move forward. You can move forward in faith.

Keep on looking up.

Remember it’s not about you.

You are my glory. Powerful statement. God was all David had left, and God was all that David needed.

glory = weight or significance. What do you give the most significance to in this life? Wealth? Family? Career? What gets the most weight?

When whatever you give the most significance to is taken away from you, how will you respond?

If God is not “your glory” you will respond in fear, anxiety, and despair. “How can I keep going?” Or, you’ll shake your fist at God and say, “How could you?”

David is overwhelmed, but he’s confident. He doesn’t shake his fist at God. Instead, “You’re my glory.”

If God is your glory, you can say like Job: “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21).

Lifter of my head - Left Jerusalem in shame - his head covered in disgrace (2 Sam. 15:30). God would remove his disgrace and shame. God’s children don’t walk with their heads down in shame.

We walk with our heads up looking to the God who has graciously redeemed us.

Remember what God has done.

vs. 4 - He answered me from his holy hill! The hill where God installed His King (Ps. 2:6). The king that would be established on David’s throne forever - King Jesus.

The King that would go to a cross on Mt. Calvary and die for David, and for you and me. Rose again to give us life.

The ONE who lived and died for you will NOT abandon you. When you are overwhelmed, you feel abandoned but you are not.

When you’re overwhelmed you’re tempted to forget the cross!

The truth: The ONE who died and rose again for you is at the right hand of God interceding for you (Romans 8:34).

When overwhelmed, you need perspective. You gain perspective as you look up. Turn your eyes UPON Jesus. Don’t turn your eyes FROM Jesus.

Keep on resting in His promises.

“I lie down and sleep...” Sometimes when overwhelmed, you can’t sleep. You’re up for hours on end worrying about how you’re going to get out of the mess you’re in.

OR, you go to sleep to escape from the problems. Sometimes, when you struggle with depression, you’ll sleep your blues away. Stay in bed all day. Or, numb your mind with Netflix so you don’t have to deal with life.

That’s NOT what David is saying. David could sleep because he knew he was safe in God’s hands.

vs. 6 - “I will not be afraid...” Assurance in God’s promise. David will keep coming back to God’s promise in the Psalms. God’s promise to us is not conditioned on our obedience but His faithfulness. God’s promise can’t be thwarted by His enemies. God is faithful to His Word.

Words you need to hear when you are overwhelmed:

Stay calm. When overwhelmed, we get irrational. “My life is over, I’ll never recover.” We always assume the worst instead of letting our minds dwell on the truth. Truth: Move forward, and you will get through. God is faithful. Walk by faith. You will get to the other side, and you’ll look back and see how God was with you every step of the way. You’ll see how He cared for you and provided. Be calm.

Question we asked when overwhelmed: “What else can I do?” Sometimes the answer: Nothing. Often, all you can do is rest in His promises. You pray, walk by faith, and wait.

Stay confident. We think about the worst that can happen instead of thinking about what’s guaranteed to happen (Ph. 1:6).

https://www.wptv.com/news/national/ikea-offers-help-with-baby-names-after-covid-19-boom - Ikea has you covered… Assurance for a stressful time - Where will you turn?

Keep on being a blessing.

Your purpose is always to point people to the true King.

Strike my enemies? Doesn’t sound very missional - but think about what David wants - no one to stand in the way of God’s plan. David knows that Absalom is not the king God has chosen. So, David’s prayer to God: Make things right. Bring justice.

David’s prayer is our prayer: Make things right.

Your blessing be on your people - Prayer that God’s people would see that salvation belongs to the Lord. He is the true King!

Salvation is NOT in the counsel of the wicked (Ps. 1, Absalom). Salvation is not in a king like Absalom, who might look impressive, but in who reality is rebelling against God’s plan. Salvation belongs to the Lord alone.

Your purpose is always to point people to the true king.

Your troubles don’t change your purpose. When life is overwhelming, the last thing your thinking about is how God can use you, but you MUST ask that question even when life is overwhelming.

Whatever you are experiencing today, you can’t lose sight of what God desires - God desires to make Himself known, and He desires to use you to make Jesus known to others.

Jesus was overwhelmed - but not for a second did He allow His troubles change His purpose.

Psalm 3 points us to Jesus (prophetic - David a type of Jesus - his life points us to the life of Jesus) - God’s anointed King. Jesus rejected by His own (John 1:11).

The KING came to save His people by living the life they could not live and going to a cross as our substitute. Yet, on the cross, Jesus mocked. A crown of thorns on His head, stripped of His clothes, and taunted: “He trust in God, let God deliver Him.” Or, “many are saying there is no salvation for him in God.”

Like David, Jesus cried aloud from the cross, but when Jesus cried, He was met with silence as He suffered the wrath of God in our place SO that WE could be delivered and given the gift of abundant, eternal, and ultimately resurrected life.

Jesus died and rose again for us so that we could lay our heads down at night in calm assurance knowing that since it is well with our souls, it can be well with life. Jesus is the King set on Zion for us - ruling and reigning for us.

We have no need to fear, and every reason to live for His glory - keeping our eyes on Him as we live for His mission.

Overwhelmed? Keep on moving forward. Keep on looking up. Keep on resting in His promises. Keep on being a blessing because you have a God who has blessed you.