Psalm 3:

Save Me, O My God

A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.

O LORD, how many are my foes!

Many are rising against me;

many are saying of my soul,

there is no salvation for him in God. 

But you, O LORD, are a shield about me,

my glory, and the lifter of my head.

I cried aloud to the LORD,

and he answered me from his holy hill. 

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.

Many will of heard of King David, God's chosen King. He won battles, ruled the kingdom, and was referred to by God as, 'a man after my own heart' . 

So his life should be sweet right?

Well, it was, sometimes. 

David still made some mistakes, and he still came up against challenges. 

This psalm is written whilst David is running away from his kingdom, and his son. 

Why? Because his son wants the throne. David doesn't want to battle his son, but he still wants to be king. So, he flees. King David runs away. 

Then he starts to hear these mutterings, 'many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God.'

Who said these things? 

My guess is that it's the people that are around him. How else would he hear these things? He's run away from his kingdom and his enemies. So presumably the ones who ran away with him, his companions, warriors, those who know David, are probably the ones saying these things. That's pretty hard, he's already in fear of his own life, then he starts hearing people saying, not only is his life, but his soul is in danger! 

Sometimes, it's the people that are closest to us that seem to hurt is the most. 

I know that when those closest to me say negative things about; me,

my actions, or character, it hurts the most. It's not nice when anyone says horrible things, but the pain is intensified when it's those we love and value. It's easy for those accusations and words to echo around our heads and remind us of the pain and our worthlessness. Sending us into a spiral of self-pity, regret and worthlessness. 

People's words can have a profound effect on us.

I am amazed by David's response. 

When hurtful words are said I replay them in my mind, relive the offence and feel bad either about myself, the other person or both! 

What does David do? 

David states who God is! 

Amazing! In the midst of the emotional and physical upheaval he is going through, David does not focus on the words spoken about him, but focuses on who God is. 

He reminds himself that God is, 'a shield about me', 'my glory' 'and the lifter of my head'. Wow! 

God is:

# a shield about me - a shield is a defensive and an offensive weapon, it protects us from what's coming at us, and can shove things out of the way. It is a weapon of war. God fiercely protects and fights for us. He doesn't stand still when we are being berated, he's there, he's ready, and he's battling for us. 

# my glory - my; splendour, magnificence, greatness, beauty, grandeur. 

God is what is good about us! There may be some truth about what others say about us, but if God is in you, then He is your 'glory' He is what is great, beautiful and even magnificent in you! Wow!

# the lifter of my head - if people are putting us down, there is no need for us to keep our heads down. Trouble is, with your head down you can't see where we are going.

We are not defined by the words or thoughts of others. We are children of the most high God. No matter what anyone else; thinks, says or does, this is who we are. You want proof? Start reading the Bible to discover who God is, and who He says you are. 

So, the next time you either:

A) have the opportunity to put someone down or say something that may hurt someone else - think twice - is it true? Is it necessary? would you say it in front of God?

B) hear someone speaking ill of yourself, remind yourself; who God is, who you are and lift up your head!