A Prayer in Trouble

One of the toughest times in David's life was Absolom's betrayal.

Absalom was David's son who had systematically usurped his father's authority and dignity. 

• He met people outside the palace saying, "My father is too busy to see you, but how can I help you?" 
• He won over David's key military personnel. 
• He staged a coup - taking over the royal palace. 
• He did some horrible things to utterly humiliate his father. (For example: he slept with (raped) all of David's wives and concubines on the palace roof in full view of the public.) 

In the book of Samuel, the event is described in somber tones and David is seen fleeing from Jerusalem with his proverbial tail between his legs - so sad and defeated that he won't even let his soldiers deal with a man named Shimei, who pelts David and his entourage with stones and insults. David appears to be a tired and humiliated man slinking off into the unknown. (See 2Sam16)

Psalm 3 is the prayer David wrote at this dark time. It is a very powerful expression of faith and trust in God at a dismal, dark and dreary time. It expresses a deep and passionate faith in spite of horrible circumstances.

The Psalm is broken into three parts by the Hebrew word "Selah", which most scholars presume is a musical directive calling for a musical interlude - maybe a chance to pause for thought...

In the first part, David describes the extent of his distress. It's a simple but very raw acknowledgement of his pain: There are many foes and many verbal critics who believe that God has abandoned him. It's a tough place, when you have been king, to be dismissed like this.

In the second part, he expresses his absolute faith in God. He expresses three attributes of God's nature in three ways:

1. The attribute of protection: God is his shield.
2. The attribute of restoration: David believes that God will bestow glory on him and lift his head - see how he expresses future events in present tense.
3. The attribute of Answering: David portrays God as the One who hears and answers.

In the third part, David chooses his attitudes and he hands his enemies over to God. David makes two vital choices: to sleep and to not be dominated by the fear of numbers. 

Choosing to sleep is the ultimate act of trust. There are times that we struggle to sleep even when we want to. I don't think this is what David is talking about here. I think he's talking about going to sleep when he could be spending another hour frantically trying to out-think his problems. He sleeps - handing it over to God - and wakes up - recognizing God's ongoing providence. He chooses not to be intimidated by a show of force and he trusts God to deal with them.

Please read through the Psalm slowly. This is one of David's greatest tests. I don't think he composed this Psalm quickly or glibly - I think it was a struggle and a surrender, but it brings David to a significant space. It can do the same for you and me.