There are three things in this psalm that are true about God all the time. And these things are how God is with those who are really His. Regardless of the unfaithfulness of God’s people, He is always faithful in these three things.
What makes the psalm so remarkable is that David was very unfaithful to God and was experiencing the devastating consequences of his unfaithfulness. He knew He was forgiven for his disobedience to God. He doesn’t seem to indicate anywhere he struggled with doubts regarding whether or not he had been forgiven by God. He was told: “God has forgiven you” (2 Samuel 12:13). So his struggle was not over forgiveness but where is God in the consequences.
It is important to understand that if God is this faithful when we have brought trouble on ourselves, we can be assured of His faithfulness when we go through difficult times that we did not directly cause. These three things are just as true in His relationship with His flock no matter what.
Last time we saw in Psalm 3:1-3 that David experienced the Lord as his shield; God stood between David and his troubles. God was his protector in trouble though not a protector from trouble. David knew the Lord was on his side—he had been forgiven by the Lord. The second thing he shares with us that is always true about God is He sustains us (vs. 4-6).
Notice that David continually goes to the Lord in prayer about everything. He constantly pours out his heart to God about his troubles. This is what Peter is talking about when he instructs us to “cast all our cares on the Lord because He cares for us” (1 Peter 5:7). Rather than first go to someone else, Facebook, or choose a temporary escape, we are to keep going to the Lord. And we know God hears from His holy hill, which eventually was where Jesus was crucified. Because of Calvary we can know God will hear us.
To sustain has the idea of “grasp” and “support.” God is holding onto us and will never let go. We are not always good at holding onto the Lord, but He holds us; He grasps ahold of us and is our constant support. This is present tense—it is always happening, it is always true about God.
As a result David could confidently sleep at night because he really knew he was in God’s hands that were closed around him. The stresses of his circumstances did not keep him awake at night. He knew God was sustaining him. He knew he was in God’s hands and God was not going to let go.
For Reflection:
- Where do you turn first when things are not well? To whom do you go or what do you do first? How is that working out for you?
- Sometimes it is helpful and necessary to review what is true about the Lord before going to sleep at night. So far we see God is our shield and sustainer.
- The New Testament also gives us unchangeable truths about the Lord that are good reminders before sleep:
- Romans 8:1 – There is no condemnation to those in Christ.
- 2 Corinthians 5:21 – I am righteous in Christ; this is how God sees me.
- John 17:26 – God loves me as much as He loves Jesus.
- Colossians 2:13 – I have been forgiven ALL sins.
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