Reading the Word

Psalm 3:1–8 (ESV)

1 O LORD, how many are my foes!
Many are rising against me;
2 many are saying of my soul,
“There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah

3 But you, O LORD, are a shield about me,
my glory, and the lifter of my head.
4 I cried aloud to the LORD,
and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah

5 I lay down and slept;
I woke again, for the LORD sustained me.
6 I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around.

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

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

Understanding and Applying the Word

In Psalm 3, we read the words of David. At the time, he was being pursued by enemies who wanted to take his life. If we use our imaginations, we can picture David on the run and hiding out to preserve his life. We can also imagine what his thoughts and feelings might have been. It seems he would have been a nervous wreck!

In verse 5, David tells us that he “lay down and slept” and “woke again”. In the midst of all that was going on and the constant dangers he faced, David was able to lay down and rest his head peacefully. Why? He was able to do this because he knew that he was in the Lord’s hands. It was God that sustained him through the night and brought him to the next morning.

We can learn a great deal from these verses about resting in the Lord. We may not have personal enemies who want to take our lives, but we may have things going on in our lives that cause fear and anxiety. We may have things that cause us to lose sleep at night. Let us remember that we are in the hands of the all-powerful and all-knowing Lord of all. We can sleep easy.

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