The God Who Lifts My Head

[Psalm 3]

Everyone, have you ever heard the term “a man who lowers his head”? There is a question that comes up when moving: “Where should the husband sit in the truck?” There are two options: (1) “next to the driver in the passenger seat” or (2) “in the back of the truck.” The reasons for choosing the back of the truck are: (1) “to protect the luggage,” (2) “because there is no space since the family is inside,” (3) “to save money,” and (4) “just for fun.” Do you know what the answer is? Interestingly, the correct answer is not any of the above options but rather: “Please don’t leave me, take me with you.” Haha. On one hand, it’s a funny answer, but on the other hand, it reflects a sad reality in Korea. Korean men who have lowered their heads due to early retirement, suffering from what’s called “unemployment syndrome,” thinking, “I’ve become a failure in life,” and feeling unable to face the faces of their wives and children, who have relied only on them. These men are said to be suffering from feelings of loss, betrayal, defeat, and despair (according to the internet). After reading an article about these “men with lowered heads” on a Korean website, I thought about the existence of “Christians with lowered heads.” Even for Christians, there can be feelings of “loss,” “betrayal,” “defeat,” and “despair.” However, what causes Christians to lower their heads more than these feelings is the feeling of “guilt.” Thoughts like: “Because of my sin, my child is like this,” or “Because of my sin, my family is in this state” can overwhelm us. The voices we hear in our hearts can trap Christians in feelings of loss, defeat, despair, and especially guilt.

In today’s Scripture from Psalm 3, the psalmist David also could have easily lowered his head. The reason is that David, after killing his loyal soldier Uriah and taking Bathsheba as his wife, was filled with guilt as he had to flee from his son Absalom. (Psalm 3 is titled “A Psalm of David when he fled from Absalom his son.”) David could have easily thought, “Because of my sin, I am in this situation,” or “As the head of the family, I failed in my responsibility, and this is the state of my home.” From David’s perspective, it is easy to understand why he could have lowered his head. But the surprising fact is that in the second half of Psalm 3:3, David confesses that God is “the one who lifts up my head.” What a great comfort and strength David’s confession is to us! Today, under the title “The God Who Lifts My Head,” I want to meditate on the words of Psalm 3 and humbly receive the grace that God is giving to both you and me.

First, I want to reflect on the “Increase of my adversaries.”

Psalm 3:1
“Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me!”

In this verse, David says, "How many are my foes!" He mentions that there are many who attack him (verse 1) and also many who say that he cannot find help in God (verse 2). The word “many” appears three times in verses 1 and 2. The repetition of this word three times shows us that the enemies of Christians will only increase rather than decrease. When we walk the "path of the righteous" (verse 6), meditating on God's Word day and night (Psalm 1:1-2), the wicked, the sinners, and the proud will rise up against us, and their power will continue to grow (Psalm 3:1-2). This is why the psalmist says in Psalm 2:2, “The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against His Anointed” (Psalm 2:2). Where can we clearly see this? We can see it in the life of the "Anointed One" (Psalm 2:2), the Messiah, Jesus Christ. An interesting fact before He was crucified is that “Herod and Pilate became friends that very day, though they had been enemies before” (Luke 23:12). Just as Herod and Pilate, who were enemies, became friends to oppose Jesus, the world also unites as “friends” to oppose us, the disciples of Jesus. In a sense, when the enemies increase, it can be one of two things: (1) Like David, I may have sinned greatly against the holy God, and this is His discipline upon me, or (2) it is a sign that I am faithfully walking the path of the righteous. Even believers, as roaring lions, are attacking us (1 Peter 5:8). What is the fatal blow they are trying to deliver to us? It is the same thing that many of David's enemies told him: “There is no help from God for him” (Psalm 3:2). The enemies who spoke to David’s soul were saying, “God will not deliver you, He will not save you.” This is a deadly voice of Satan that seeks to destroy our faith. This voice is very clear when we are exhausted and fall into adversity and crisis. “Look, you are going through all this pain and suffering, but no matter how much you pray, God is not helping you.” When this voice reaches our souls, it is so clear in our weakened spiritual state, and it is enough to bring despair and anxiety to our hearts. What should we do in times like this? We must overcome with faith: “Faith is the victory, faith is the victory, the faith in the Lord Jesus is the victory over the world” (hymn 397, chorus).

Finally, the second point I want to consider is "Growing Faith" (Increase of my faith).

The increasing of my adversaries (Increase of my adversaries) can be a good opportunity for my faith to grow (Increase of my faith). This growing faith is something I want to reflect on in three ways:

(1) A growing faith is a "faith that says 'but'" or a "faith that goes against the current."

Look at Psalm 3:3:
"Lord, You are my shield, my glory, and the One who lifts up my head."

In this verse, while there is no conjunction in the Korean Bible, if we look at the original Hebrew text or the English Bible, we see the conjunction "But." This means that when David, the psalmist, saw the increasing number of adversaries who were trying to strike him and heard them say, "God will not save you," he was not swayed by their words. Instead, he boldly confessed his faith by saying, "God is my shield, my glory, and the One who lifts up my head." This kind of faith is what we call "faith that goes against the current" (Park Yun-sun). "Faith actually enjoys adversity and hardship" (Park Yun-sun).

We must swim against the sinful current of the world. Just like a fish swimming upstream against a waterfall, we too must swim against the waterfall of the world's sin. What a great challenge this is! Yet, in the face of many enemies trying to kill him, David resisted the voices of his enemies saying "God will not help you" and instead reversed those voices by confessing: "God is my protector (‘my shield’), He is the One who gives me glory (‘my glory’), and furthermore, He is the One who gives me hope, comfort, and victory (‘the One who lifts up my head’)" (Park Yun-sun). What an amazing confession of faith!

We must pursue this kind of "but" faith or "faith that goes against the current" like David. No matter what the world may say to our soul, or even what we may say to our own soul about God, we must be people who can make the correct confession of faith. No matter who lies about God, we must not be deceived by those lies but rather resist them and declare the truth: "But God is the God who... [whatever He is in that situation]."

Furthermore, we must proclaim to our soul and fight against the adversaries in front of us or those that have infiltrated within us, and we must overcome them.

(2) The growing faith is a "praying faith."

Let's look at the words from Psalm 3:4, 7, and 8:
"I cried out with my voice to the Lord, and He answered me from His holy hill (Selah)... Arise, O Lord! O my God, save me! You have struck all my enemies on the cheek; You have broken the teeth of the wicked. Salvation belongs to the Lord. Your blessing is upon Your people (Selah)."

In these verses, we see how David cries out to God (for example, in verse 4: "I cried out with my voice to the Lord..."). It seems that the more his enemies increased, the more David relied on God and prayed to Him. In particular, based on the past answered prayers (verse 7), he prayed with confidence in God's salvation (deliverance) in the face of the adversity and crisis he was currently experiencing. Even though his enemies kept saying, "God will not save you," David did not let those voices disturb him. He believed that "God is my Savior" and boldly proclaimed that truth to his soul, while praying in faith for God’s salvation. David, in crying out "Arise, O Lord!" acknowledged that he could not do anything against the many enemies surrounding him (verse 7).

This gives us a valuable lesson. The lesson is that when we acknowledge our human limitations and look to God’s infinity, and when we cry out to God, His saving power is revealed. In light of this teaching, not crying out to God is like saying we do not recognize our human limitations and do not need to rely on God's infinite power. Such faith cannot be called a growing faith. A believer who still does not recognize the limits of humanity and tries to fight against adversaries relying on themselves will not last long in that fight and will inevitably experience defeat and frustration.

It seems that Satan keeps whispering to our souls: "You're tired and sleepy; don't pray, just sleep. You can do ministry without praying. Rely on yourself and do ministry with all your heart. If it doesn’t work out, you can pray later."

Where do you think Satan's scheme lies? Satan's scheme is to make us believe the lie that "You have infinite power within you. Rely on yourself. You are God." Therefore, we must remain alert and pray, experiencing God's salvation. We cannot save ourselves. We must pray. We must cry out in faith to the God of salvation.

(3) Growing Faith is “A Faith that Does Not Fear.”

Let us look at Psalm 3:6:
“Though ten thousand may encamp against me, I will not fear.”

In this verse, the psalmist David confesses: “Though ten thousand may encamp against me, I will not fear.” Naturally, as enemies increase, our fear also increases, but David did not fear. This is the reaction of someone who possesses growing faith. Christians who truly have growing faith, the more enemies they face, the more they pray, and the less fear they experience. Fear does exist, but like David, they declare that they will not fear and move forward in faith. The reason David could make such a declaration is because of the prayer that supported his counter-faith. When we pray, fear of people fades away. This is because a reverence for God grows in our hearts. Those who fear God will not fear people, nor can they. David, who trusted in God, believing that He was his shield, who would protect him in front and behind, who would reveal even greater glory through many enemies, and who would not bring despair and defeat but instead hope, comfort, and victory, did not fear his enemies. In fact, he even lay down and slept (verse 5). What a marvelous faith it is for a believer to sleep in the midst of a crisis! Just as in the sea, when the waves may be large on the surface, the deeper the sea, the calmer it is at the bottom, so too, no matter how fiercely our enemies rage and attack us, if our faith in God is deep, we can silently look only to God. This quietness is our strength. (Isaiah 30:15) “… in quietness and trust is your strength.”

Brothers and sisters, the world tries to make us bow our heads. Satan tries everything to make us become Christians with heads bowed, by making us taste feelings of loss, betrayal, defeat, frustration, and guilt. He sends many enemies our way and strikes us with pain and adversity. He whispers in our ears, saying, “God will not save you,” in an attempt to prevent us from trusting and looking to our Savior, God. However, we must deeply realize that the more Satan’s works increase, the more our faith must grow, and we must seek this growing faith. This growing faith is a counter-faith, a praying faith, and a faith that does not fear. My hope is that, as we sing, “Faith is victorious, faith is victorious, faith in the Lord Jesus conquers the world,” (hymn 397), we may quietly walk the path of victory.

With a heart longing for growing faith,

Pastor James Kim
(Thanking the Lord Emmanuel, who has been with me with the grace of salvation in my life)