Psalms

Psalms 3: Salvation belongs to the LORD

Begin in prayer

Before we hear David's prayer during Absalom's rebellion, let us bring our fears to God. Ask Him to show us why salvation belongs to Him and to direct our hearts to Jesus.

I call on Yahweh, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.

2 Samuel 22:4

Father in heaven, please open our eyes as we read Your Word, and help us to see Christ. Show us that the LORD hears His people and has the power to save. Make us more like Jesus. And please bless our family as we worship You together. In Jesus' name, Amen.

See where we're going

David wrote this prayer when he fled from his son Absalom, whose rebellion had driven him from Jerusalem. His enemies are many, and their words say that God will give him no help. David answers by calling the LORD his shield, his glory and the One who lifts his head. He cries out, sleeps and wakes, because the LORD sustains him. He asks God to save him, remembering how the LORD has struck his enemies, and seeks blessing for God's people.

As you read Psalms 3, look for the answers:

Reflect together

Key truth

The LORD sustains His people in danger, and salvation belongs to Him.

The title places this song inside a painful family rebellion. David has lost the safety of his throne, yet he still calls on the LORD. The enemies' deepest claim is that even God will refuse him help. A shield around him answers that threat, while God lifting his head answers his humiliation. Sleep and waking become gifts of sustaining care in the middle of danger. David remembers God striking his enemies and breaking their teeth, a picture of stopping their power to harm. He puts justice in God's hands and asks blessing for God's people. Salvation belongs to the LORD, so David's hope rests on God's power rather than the size of his company.

How does Psalm 3 show us that the LORD sustains His people in danger, and salvation belongs to Him?

The LORD hears David when enemies say there is no help.

David tells God what the enemies are saying. Their many voices cannot decide whether the LORD will hear him. His cry receives an answer from God's holy hill, even while he is fleeing.

The LORD sustains David while he sleeps.

David lies down amid danger and awakens because the LORD sustains him. His safety depends on the God who remains awake and able to help. This prayer gives frightened people words for asking God to carry them through the night.

Salvation belongs to the LORD.

David asks God to act against wicked enemies. The final blessing reaches beyond his own rescue to the people God calls His own. David cannot command victory for himself, so he asks the LORD to rise and save him.

Memorise

Salvation belongs to Yahweh. Your blessing be on your people. Selah.

Psalm 3:8

Looking to Jesus in my life

Ask yourself in your heart, what fear am I keeping from the Lord Jesus?

People said of David, “There is no help for him in God.” David answered by crying to the LORD, and the psalm ends, “Salvation belongs to Yahweh.” Cruel voices never have the authority to close God's ears.

Our greatest danger comes from our own sin against God. Jesus carried His people's sin to the cross, bearing God's anger as their substitute. God raised His Son, whose saving life now stands beyond the reach of death. His sacrifice has settled their whole debt, and His living power saves those who trust Him.

Come to Him with the guilt you cannot remove and the fears you cannot master. Turn from sin and trust Jesus, and receive His forgiveness. He knows how to sustain His people through trouble. The saving Lord is greater than the voices that say there is no help.

Parent's note

Tell your children that the LORD hears His people and has the power to save. Please do not tell them they are saved just because they grew up in a Christian home. Call each child to turn from sin and trust Jesus, and pray that God would give them a new heart.

Pray together

Now please close your time together in prayer. Thank God that He sustains His people in danger. Bring the heart question to Him. Every child can pray, so let each one say a short prayer if they want to.

My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand.

John 10:29

Lord God, thank You for hearing David when his enemies said there was no help. We bring our fears and our sins before You. Lead us to repentance and faith in Jesus. Please sustain those in danger, and teach us to entrust our days and nights to Your care. Amen.