Having A Problem?

Psalm 3: 1 – 8

Having a problem?

1 LORD, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me. 2 Many are they who say of me, “There is no help for him in God.” Selah 3 But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head. 4 I cried to the LORD with my voice, and He heard me from His holy hill. Selah 5 I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustained me. 6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. 7 Arise, O LORD; Save me, O my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone; You have broken the teeth of the ungodly. 8 Salvation belongs to the LORD. Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah

People in Philly like to converse in greetings by saying, ‘Hou you doin?’ What they are saying is how is everything going on in your life? In truth they do not care about you at all. This is just the Philly way of saying ‘Hi’. To shock the other person into reality I say, ‘Well right now I got a lot of persecution and suffering. I am daily going through trials and tests. I extend good to others and receive evil back in return. So. All things are great. How is your day going.’ In the book of 2 Timothy chapter 3 verse 12 says, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” Hello?

It is my belief that our Holy God allows to happen to us on purpose. Why? I believe our Lord does not want us to be comfortable here. We know this in our minds but have not solidified it in our hearts. You have heard the statement, ‘He is so heavenly minded that he is no earthy good.’ This remark is not correct. If you are heavenly minded you will be earthly good because you follow the directions of Jehovah Elyon – The Lord Most High.

David was going through some extreme difficult times. Many scholars reveal that this was the time when his son Absalom was leading a revolt against him. The Psalm opens with a cry of distress and almost despair.

1 LORD, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me. 2 Many are they who say of me, “There is no help for him in God.” Selah

David was deeply aware that his life was in grave danger. He had only just escaped with his life by a hairsbreadth, and he had seen how many there were who were against him. The rebellion had taken him completely by surprise, even though he must have been aware of Absalom’s activities and attempts to win the people’s hearts to himself.

Abraham Lincoln once said that ‘you can please some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time.’ People main thought towards those who are in leadership is, ‘what can you do for me now.’

We see now, however, that David was appalled. He was totally taken by surprise, and very upset, to discover how many there were who were clearly disenchanted with his reign. He had not expected this. He had not realized, in his sense of his own supremacy, that the days of his early popularity had gone, and that his reign was now probably considered too harsh. His constant calling on men for war to sustain the status quo, and his plans for expansion which involved them even more, had disillusioned the people. They had been unable to work their land as they had wanted to, and had had to spend too much time away from home.

How easy it is to become like David. We become complacent with our lives and fail to observe that we are no longer taking account of the feelings of those around us. Our complacency leads us into taking too much for granted rather than into putting in the effort that success requires. We feel that we can manage very well as we are, and we forget to keep strict accounts of our lives, and to recognize that others might have concerns different from ours. The ministry of many a servant of God has been minimized because of complacency. And the consequence is that one day we can be pulled up short by unpleasant realities.

So David’s cry here was concerning the huge number of people who were teamed up against him. I believe this was what hurt him the most, especially the number of the people of Jerusalem his own city who were against him. He had won Jerusalem for them and now they had turned against him.