There are seasons when life feels loud. Your mind is full, your calendar is overflowing, your emotions are stretched thin, and sometimes it feels like there is always one more thing demanding your attention. Maybe you’re caring for children, serving at church, loving your family, showing up for your friends, building something God has placed on your heart, or simply trying to keep your head above water. And somewhere in the middle of all of it, you realize you haven’t stopped in a while. You haven’t taken a breath. You haven’t really sat with Jesus.
Today we will look at Psalm 3 and how it reminds us that sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is pause, lift and praise. Listen as we read this short Psalm from the New English Translation:
Lord, how numerous are my enemies! Many attack me. Many say about me, “God will not deliver him.” (Selah)
But you, Lord, are a shield that protects me; you are my glory and the one who restores me. To the Lord I cried out, and he answered me from his holy hill. (Selah)
I rested and slept; I awoke, for the Lord protects me. I am not afraid of the multitude of people who attack me from all directions. Rise up, Lord! Deliver me, my God! Yes, you will strike all my enemies on the jaw; you will break the teeth of the wicked. The Lord delivers; you show favor to your people. (Selah)
This psalm was written during one of the most painful seasons of King David’s life. David was running for his life because his own son, Absalom, had betrayed him and declared himself king. Think about that for a moment. David wasn’t dealing with a small inconvenience. He was experiencing betrayal, grief, fear, exhaustion, uncertainty, and loss. He had been forced to leave Jerusalem and the place where he worshiped. Everything around him felt unstable. And yet, in the middle of all that chaos, David stopped long enough to talk to God.
Three times in this psalm we see the word Selah. While we may not know its exact meaning, it carries the idea of pausing, lifting up, and reflecting. It is as though David is saying, “Stop here. Don’t rush past this. Take a breath. Think about what you just heard. Let this truth settle into your heart.” And maybe that is exactly what some of us need today.
PAUSE
David begins by being completely honest with God: “Lord, how numerous are my enemies! Many attack me. Many say about me, ‘God will not deliver him.’”
David doesn't pretend everything is okay. He doesn't clean up his emotions before bringing them to God. He tells God exactly what he is facing. He brings his fear, his uncertainty, his pain, and even the voices telling him that God isn't going to come through.
There is something beautiful about that kind of honesty. David knew he didn't have to hide what was happening in order to come into God's presence.
Maybe you need to hear that today. You don't have to have it all together before you come to Jesus. You don't have to find the right words. You don't have to make your prayer sound spiritual. You can simply come as you are. So pause.
Take a breath and quiet your heart before the Lord. What are you carrying right now? What are you worried about? What has disappointed you? What are you afraid to say out loud? What situation feels bigger than you? Bring it to Him. Be honest. Be vulnerable. Be real. He can handle it.
LIFT UP
Then something changes in David's prayer. He moves from describing what is happening around him to declaring who God is: “But you, Lord, are a shield that protects me; you are my glory and the one who restores me.”
I love that little word but. David is surrounded by enemies, but God is his shield.
David is afraid, but God is his protector. David is exhausted, but God is his restorer. David's circumstances are uncertain, but God has not changed.
Sometimes we spend so much time looking at what is happening around us that we forget to lift our eyes and look at the One who is above it all. That's what David does next. He lifts his gaze. And maybe that's what you need to do too.
Lift up the truth of who God is. He is your shield. He is your refuge. He is your protector. He is the One who sees you when no one else does. He is the One who hears you when your prayers feel like whispers. He is the One who restores what feels broken and gives strength when yours is running low.
You don't have to manufacture hope. You can find hope in Him. So pause again. Lift your eyes from the problem and place them on your Provider. Take a few quiet moments and simply remind yourself who God is. Then be still long enough to let the Holy Spirit remind your heart of what is true.
PRAISE
And then David says something remarkable: “I rested and slept; I awoke, for the Lord protects me.”
David was still surrounded by danger. His circumstances had not suddenly become easy. His enemies were still there. The situation had not been resolved. But David slept. Why? Because his confidence was no longer resting in his circumstances. His confidence was resting in God.
There is a kind of rest that doesn't come because everything around us is peaceful. It comes because we know the One who holds us is greater than anything coming against us. David wakes up and discovers that God has been faithful through the night. And his response is praise.
Maybe your circumstances haven't changed either. Maybe there are still unanswered questions. Maybe there is still something you're waiting for God to do. Maybe you are walking through something you never would have chosen.
But can you stop long enough to remember what God has already done? Where have you seen Him working? What has He provided? What prayer has He answered? Where has He given you strength you didn't have on your own? Where has He been faithful? Give Him praise.
Praise doesn't mean we pretend everything is perfect. Praise means we remember that God is still God in the middle of the imperfect. David's story reminds us that sometimes we don't need another answer, another strategy, or another thing to accomplish. Sometimes we simply need to pause, lift our eyes, and praise the One who has been holding us all along.
So today, give yourself permission to practice a little Selah. Pause from the noise. Lift your eyes from the circumstances. Praise God for who He is and for what He has done. Take a breath. Let your shoulders drop. Be still. And remember: you are not carrying your life alone. The same God who met David in the middle of his chaos is the God who meets you in yours.
Selah.
There are seasons when life feels loud. Your mind is full, your calendar is overflowing, your emotions are stretched thin, and sometimes it feels like there is always one more thing demanding your attention. Maybe you’re caring for children, serving at church, loving your family, showing up for your friends, building something God has placed on your heart, or simply trying to keep your head above water. And somewhere in the middle of all of it, you realize you haven’t stopped in a while. You haven’t taken a breath. You haven’t really sat with Jesus.
Today we will look at Psalm 3 and how it reminds us that sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is pause, lift and praise. Listen as we read this short Psalm from the New English Translation:
Lord, how numerous are my enemies! Many attack me. Many say about me, “God will not deliver him.” (Selah)
But you, Lord, are a shield that protects me; you are my glory and the one who restores me. To the Lord I cried out, and he answered me from his holy hill. (Selah)
I rested and slept; I awoke, for the Lord protects me. I am not afraid of the multitude of people who attack me from all directions. Rise up, Lord! Deliver me, my God! Yes, you will strike all my enemies on the jaw; you will break the teeth of the wicked. The Lord delivers; you show favor to your people. (Selah)
This psalm was written during one of the most painful seasons of King David’s life. David was running for his life because his own son, Absalom, had betrayed him and declared himself king. Think about that for a moment. David wasn’t dealing with a small inconvenience. He was experiencing betrayal, grief, fear, exhaustion, uncertainty, and loss. He had been forced to leave Jerusalem and the place where he worshiped. Everything around him felt unstable. And yet, in the middle of all that chaos, David stopped long enough to talk to God.
Three times in this psalm we see the word Selah. While we may not know its exact meaning, it carries the idea of pausing, lifting up, and reflecting. It is as though David is saying, “Stop here. Don’t rush past this. Take a breath. Think about what you just heard. Let this truth settle into your heart.” And maybe that is exactly what some of us need today.
PAUSE
David begins by being completely honest with God: “Lord, how numerous are my enemies! Many attack me. Many say about me, ‘God will not deliver him.’”
David doesn't pretend everything is okay. He doesn't clean up his emotions before bringing them to God. He tells God exactly what he is facing. He brings his fear, his uncertainty, his pain, and even the voices telling him that God isn't going to come through.
There is something beautiful about that kind of honesty. David knew he didn't have to hide what was happening in order to come into God's presence.
Maybe you need to hear that today. You don't have to have it all together before you come to Jesus. You don't have to find the right words. You don't have to make your prayer sound spiritual. You can simply come as you are. So pause.
Take a breath and quiet your heart before the Lord. What are you carrying right now? What are you worried about? What has disappointed you? What are you afraid to say out loud? What situation feels bigger than you? Bring it to Him. Be honest. Be vulnerable. Be real. He can handle it.
LIFT UP
Then something changes in David's prayer. He moves from describing what is happening around him to declaring who God is: “But you, Lord, are a shield that protects me; you are my glory and the one who restores me.”
I love that little word but. David is surrounded by enemies, but God is his shield.
David is afraid, but God is his protector. David is exhausted, but God is his restorer. David's circumstances are uncertain, but God has not changed.
Sometimes we spend so much time looking at what is happening around us that we forget to lift our eyes and look at the One who is above it all. That's what David does next. He lifts his gaze. And maybe that's what you need to do too.
Lift up the truth of who God is. He is your shield. He is your refuge. He is your protector. He is the One who sees you when no one else does. He is the One who hears you when your prayers feel like whispers. He is the One who restores what feels broken and gives strength when yours is running low.
You don't have to manufacture hope. You can find hope in Him. So pause again. Lift your eyes from the problem and place them on your Provider. Take a few quiet moments and simply remind yourself who God is. Then be still long enough to let the Holy Spirit remind your heart of what is true.
PRAISE
And then David says something remarkable: “I rested and slept; I awoke, for the Lord protects me.”
David was still surrounded by danger. His circumstances had not suddenly become easy. His enemies were still there. The situation had not been resolved. But David slept. Why? Because his confidence was no longer resting in his circumstances. His confidence was resting in God.
There is a kind of rest that doesn't come because everything around us is peaceful. It comes because we know the One who holds us is greater than anything coming against us. David wakes up and discovers that God has been faithful through the night. And his response is praise.
Maybe your circumstances haven't changed either. Maybe there are still unanswered questions. Maybe there is still something you're waiting for God to do. Maybe you are walking through something you never would have chosen.
But can you stop long enough to remember what God has already done? Where have you seen Him working? What has He provided? What prayer has He answered? Where has He given you strength you didn't have on your own? Where has He been faithful? Give Him praise.
Praise doesn't mean we pretend everything is perfect. Praise means we remember that God is still God in the middle of the imperfect. David's story reminds us that sometimes we don't need another answer, another strategy, or another thing to accomplish. Sometimes we simply need to pause, lift our eyes, and praise the One who has been holding us all along.
So today, give yourself permission to practice a little Selah. Pause from the noise. Lift your eyes from the circumstances. Praise God for who He is and for what He has done. Take a breath. Let your shoulders drop. Be still. And remember: you are not carrying your life alone. The same God who met David in the middle of his chaos is the God who meets you in yours.
Selah.
