THE LIFTER OF OUR HEAD
But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. ~ Psalm 3:3, NIV
THE PROBLEM: COVID-19 is still here, we are still distancing and we are wearing out. In the next couple weeks, we may see some areas allowed to start opening up again and although this is wonderful for some of us it might actually get harder for others.
The spread of COVID-19 across the United States and globally, has had an overwhelming effect on us, many have lost jobs and are in dire straights. You can actually see its effects on peoples physical appearance even in the way people carry themselves— shoulders slumped, torsos rolled inward, worry across their faces, and heads drooping downward. Research shows that this very stance is a sign of the lack of confidence and/or ongoing stress, which can have a negative effect on our body physically and emotionally.
I want us to look up with a confidence we cannot always find in this world. To step into Psalm 3:3… protected, glorified, and lifted up away from this hard time.
THE WORD: Let’s look to the written Word for an example and who better than King David? He understood what it was like to feel overwhelmed by the surrounding chaos. More than once he wrote of enemies chasing him to destroy him. It was a dark moment in King David’s life when he wrote out Psalm 3 — this time, his son Absalom was trying to kill him. That takes being attacked to a whole new level right? I could see me totally being stuck, feeling overwhelmed, and at the mercy of the world. But, instead of staying in a stance of rejection, he wrote a beautiful Psalm, turning his fear and sadness over to God.
But you, Lord, are a shield around me,
my glory, the One who lifts my head,
I callout to the Lord,
and he answers me from his holy mountain
I lie down and sleep;
I wake again, because the Lord sustains me,
I will not fear though tens of thousands
assail me on every side.
Psalm 3:3-6, NIV
Right now do you need a shield, God’s glory, lifted up?
THE GIFT: It is amazing that in vs 3, the words that David penned moved from a posture of fear to one of hope. David wrote:
- God surrounds me with his shield. Notice that he didn’t write that God is just a shield in front of us, but that we are entirely surrounded by God. When we walk in the belief that we are totally surrounded by God’s shield, it gives us the freedom to stand upright in a posture of confidence because the enemy’s arrows cannot harm us spiritually. It emboldens us to stand assuredly on God’s promises.
*Faith-belief, comes by hearing. So let’s asking, seek, knock, https://nicciekliegl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/TheArmorOfGod.jpg - God is my glory. There was nothing glorious about what David was experiencing, his son was trying to kill him! Yet, he looked beyond himself, calling God “my glory.” Though it is hard to truly grasp God’s glory, Isaiah writes in chapter six, “…I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple…and they (Seraphs) were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.’” Psalm 19:1 tells us a way we can glimpse God’s glory is to look at the heavens. Picture the magnificent beauty and expanse of heaven on a starry night, and you get a small sense of what God’s glory is like. Envisioning God’s glory engulfing us can change the countenance on our face from fear to one of joy and awe.
*Romans 12:2 Be transformed. We can meditate on Psalm 19:1, Ephesians 6:10-18 armor - God is the lifter of my head. Scripture tells us that when we see Jesus, we see God (Hebrews 1:3). When we realize what Jesus did for us, we see how much God loves us. This love helps to remove the weight of fear and chaos that surrounds us so that we can lift our heads in hope.
*Shame, doubt, unworthy, confusion, lack of belief… remembering it’s all about God’s LOVE AND GRACE
King David goes on to assure us in Psalm 3 that when we call on God, He will answer and will provide us with the rest that we need to sustain us in stressful times.
THE CHOICE: Let’s look in the mirror and check our posture and our countenance. How do we look? Do we have a posture of defeat, or are we choosing to stand on God’s word with shoulders squared, head lifted high, and a smile on your face because your hope and confidence come from God?
I encourage you to listen to Prestonwood Choir sing Thou O Lord which is based on Psalm 3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY3Y7v2m0k4
Jesus looked at them & said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Math 19:26
See you next week on Living Within the Sweet Spot where you leading & succeeding God’s way!
FAITH INFUSED LIVING… REACHES GOALS HIGHER!
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Niccie Kliegl CLC, RN
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