The Lifter Of My Head
Merry Christmas to you from ‘A Word
from the Word.’ May the True Spirit of Christmas shine in your heart and light
your path today and through the upcoming year.
In Psalm 3, we read the words of
king David as he is fleeing from his son, Absalom. This Psalm starts out with a
sense of foreboding as David is tempted by others to focus his attention on the
deep problems he is facing. Can you feel his worry as he says, “Many are my
foes”? Can you sense his despair as he says, “Many are rising against me”? Do
you get the feeling that the world around him is telling him to give up hope as
he writes, “Many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for
him in God”?
But the Psalm doesn’t end there! In verse 3, David soundly rejects
the world’s advice and turns his eyes back onto the God he loves. He wisely
realizes that his help and salvation come from the LORD in this situation just
as it has in every other situation.
“But you, O Lord, are a shield about me.”
The shield was a
defensive weapon used by soldiers. It’s purpose was to cover and defend the body
from the strikes of the enemy. David here acknowledges that God is his Defender
and Protector. What a joy to know that our Lord will stand between us and our adversaries,
taking the blows and keeping us safe. I am safe when the Lord wraps around me
like a shield.
“You are… my glory.” The Hebrew
word for “glory” means honor, splendor, dignity, reputation. It carries the
idea of majesty and magnificence. David, here, acknowledges that whatever glory
there may be that comes from his life, it is not because of his own
magnificence or self-doing. The glory of David’s life, and our lives as
followers of Christ, comes solely from the One who is Most Glorious. Knowing
this takes a lot of pressure off of David and us. It means that, no matter what
happens, no one can take away the glory of my life because it isn’t about me,
it is about Him!
“You are… the lifter of my head.” When
the voices of the world start to get to us, we can start feeling down and we
are tempted to look inward at our own weaknesses and failures. When we look away
from God, we can get discouraged or even depressed. When this happens, it can actually
have an effect on our body posture. Often unknowingly, our shoulders can bend
forward and hunched over, and our head takes a downward-looking posture. It is
a sign that we are “weighed down” by our challenges and troubles. David here
declares emphatically that, in these situations, the Lord is the lifter of his
head. He is the One who can turn our downward posture back into an
upward-looking, optimistic and faith-filled position. As He lifts the burden
from our shoulders, our head turns back up and the joy of salvation once again
fills our heart. The problems are still with us, but Someone Else is carrying
the load and lifting our head!
May the Lord be your Shield, your Glory, and the Lifter of
your head this Christmas Day!
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