Please turn to Psalm 3. We are going to look at Psalm 3 this morning as we continue our summer series in the book of Psalms, where we're going to look at the first 12 Psalms this summer. And then in August, once we're done with this series, we'll go back to the book of Romans. Today we're looking again at Psalm 3. Please listen to the reading of God's word. Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son. O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me. Many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God. But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory and the lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the Lord, and He answered me from His holy hill. I lay down and slept. I woke again, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God! For You strike all my enemies on the cheek. You break the teeth of the wicked. Salvation belongs to the Lord. Your blessing be on your people. This is the word of the Lord. Please be seated. I'm sure you would agree with me that in our modern world, cultivating the discipline of prayer presents a great challenge. Of course, there are many reasons for this. the fast pace and busyness of our life, the all-consuming distractions that come from our smartphones or from social media, the precedence of the material world over the spiritual world, feelings of guilt or inadequacy before God, the perceived ineffectiveness of prayer, or even an ever-growing ignorance of what prayer is. and how to pray. All of these things conspire together to arrest the development of the Christian's prayer life. As we continue our summer series in the Book of Psalms, we will discover that one of the great blessings of the Psalter is that it records prayers for us that are inspired by God, and that are meant to be sung, memorized, and recited by God's people. Therefore, as we consider Psalm 3 this morning, we will focus on how this psalm teaches us to pray. In particular, I want you to notice that Psalm 3 is a balm for the embattled soul. This is the main point that I want you to remember this morning. If adversity is weighing you down, lift up your prayers to God and arise. That is what this psalm calls us to do. If adversity is weighing you down, lift up your prayers to God and arise. So let's study what Psalm 3 teaches us about prayer under six headings. You heard this right. Six headings. The context, the covenant, the conflict, the cry, the confidence, and the confession. Okay, so let's look at the first heading, the context. Note that Psalm 3 is the first psalm with a superscript or a title that is attached to it. Most Christian theologians consider the titles to be part of the inspired Word of God, which means that the information recorded in the titles bears divine authority. Psalm 3's title reads, A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom, his son. So Psalm 3 is a prayer of lament written by David as he wrestles with the anguish in his soul caused by his son, Absalom, who betrayed David by usurping Israel's throne. In 2 Samuel, chapters 13 to 19, we find the context for Psalm 3. It's a story of abuse, family betrayal, political intrigue, and war. And the tragic events there unfold after David's firstborn son, Amnon, rapes his half-sister, Tamar. Two years later, Tamar's brother, Absalom, avenges her death by hosting a feast and then getting Amnon drunk at that feast and sending his servants to murder him. Absalom then flees Jerusalem and goes north, beyond David's kingdom, taking refuge in Geshur, where his maternal grandfather was king. Thus, Absalom lives in exile for three years. David, grieving the loss of his son, his firstborn son, Amnon, but also longing to see Absalom again, eventually allows him, Absalom, to return to Jerusalem. And after two years, David finally receives him, because even though he... Sorry, not after two years. Absalom lives in exile for three years, and then he comes, he receives him, but David forbids Absalom from being in his presence. So think about that. He brings him back, but he doesn't receive him. He longs to see him, he yearns to be with him, but he actually doesn't allow him to be with him. I think that alone is a lesson for us on forgiveness. If we're going to forgive, we need to forgive all the way. It doesn't benefit anybody to not come all the way to the throne of mercy, and plead for mercy, and ask for forgiveness, and forgive others even, if we don't do it fully. And here David sins in that regard. He brings his son back, but he actually doesn't allow him in his presence. And this brings great problems, because Absalom, during this time that he's back in Jerusalem, but unable to see his father, grows even more bitter towards him. Well, like I said, after two years, David finally receives Absalom in his presence. But over the next four years, as that bitterness in Absalom had grown, he spends that time, these next four years Absalom does, drawing the hearts of the people of Israel away from David and toward him. And after he wins enough support, Absalom travels to Hebron and declares himself king there. This leads to full-scale rebellion in the land of Israel, forcing David to flee Jerusalem to avoid Absalom's army. So David crosses the Kidron Valley and weeps bitterly as he ascends the Mount of Olives with his heart heavy in sorrow because of his son's betrayal. David's flight forces him to go into the wilderness, where he crosses the Jordan and travels north across Gilead and through the forest of Ephraim until he finds refuge in a city called Mahanaim, some 60 miles northeast of Jerusalem. David's flight is marked by grief and great uncertainty. Yet in the midst of overwhelming adversity, the prayer of Psalm 3 articulates David's trust in God's protection. So this is the first lesson about prayer that Psalm 3 teaches us. Everyone needs prayer. Everyone needs prayer. Even the most powerful person needs to pray. David was renowned for his power, for his wisdom, and for his charisma. He appeared to have all the things in his kingdom completely under control. Yet in a moment, everything changed, and David found himself abandoning his throne and running for his life. Sooner or later, the trials of life drive all of us to our knees. And in that moment, it is good to avail ourselves of the blessed recourse of prayer. Think about the challenges in your life that you find most pressing today. The things that are keeping you up at night. The things that might be provoking anxiety in your heart. Tensions with your family, perhaps. Concerns about your children or grandchildren or about your parents or grandparents. Health concerns. Relational problems. Challenges at work or at school. Financial stress. Perhaps even the feelings of guilt or shame because of past or present sin in your life. Are you praying about these things? Have you asked others to pray for you in these concerns? In other words, how is the context of your life informing the content of your prayer? Is this adversity driving you to your knees in dejection? Or is it driving you to your knees in reliance upon God? You see, your prayer life reveals the substance of your faith, the soundness of your theology, and the sincerity of your hope. In other words, one might ask or say, tell me what you pray for and I'll tell you what you believe. What does your prayer life say about you? Remember, if adversity is weighing you down, you need to lift up your prayers to God and arise. David found solace by turning to God during his darkest moments. You also can find encouragement and hope through prayer, knowing that God hears and sustains you in your trials. So having looked at the context, let's consider the second heading, the covenant. Verse one reads, O Lord, how many are my foes? Many are rising against me." Notice that David addresses God by using his covenant name, Yahweh, here translated as Lord in uppercase letters. This teaches us that prayer is the privilege of God's covenant people. The truth is that there is no reason why a holy God who is good, and righteous, and just, should listen to the prayers of a people who are sinful, and disloyal, and altogether untrustworthy, like we are. But he does. He does, in fact, listen to our prayers. In 1 Peter 3, verse 12, the apostle writes that God's ears are open to the prayers of his people. In 1 John 5, verse 15, the beloved disciple reminds Christians that we can be confident that God hears us when we pray according to his will. And in Philippians 4, verse 6, Paul exhorts us to pray, making our requests known to God with thanksgiving. And the reason God does this is that He has graciously condescended and entered into a covenant with us through His Son and Savior, through His Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ. The prophet Jeremiah prophesied this in Jeremiah 31, verses 31 to 34, part of it which we already read today, where he writes this, Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. My covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord. I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. Dear Christian, the prophet Jeremiah prophesied this about you. This is God's promise to you. He has forgiven your sin. He remembers it no more. And because He has promised to be your God, He cares about your life and He listens to your prayers. So the second lesson that Psalm 3 teaches us about prayer is that prayer is the privilege of God's covenant people. because of Jesus Christ, because of His perfect and finished work to atone for your sin, because you're united to Him through a Spirit-wrought faith, because of Christ's ascension into heaven, where He intercedes for you as your High Priest. You have an audience before the King of the universe. It is your legal right in Jesus Christ. Don't forsake this privilege and gift, avail yourself of this right to come before God's heavenly throne in prayer. So, having looked at the context and the covenant, let's consider the third heading, the conflict. Again, look at verses 1 and 2. O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me. Many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God." Having already spoken about the covenantal nature of this prayer, I want to draw your attention to two more things in these verses. First, notice that David underscores the great number of his adversaries. He says and repeats that his foes are many. In the history of Israel, few if any men have enjoyed as much popularity as David had up to that point. And yet, in an instant, everything changed and David's world was turned upside down. Many of the same people who celebrated his military victories on behalf of Israel had now sworn their allegiance to Absalom and were pursuing David to take his life. Perhaps you notice how this foreshadows our Lord Jesus' own experience, who after entering Jerusalem to great acclaim, as the multitude cried out, Hosanna to the Son of David on Palm Sunday, by week's end would hear the crowd shouting, Crucify Him. This admonishes us from pursuing popularity and highlights the foolishness of putting our trust in man. In Jeremiah 17.5, the prophet puts it more strongly when he writes, Listen, popularity contests are a waste of time, and they're not worthy of your devotion. I know social media and all the algorithms are designed for you to pursue that popularity. They're worthless. It's worthless. It's a trap. It's a snare. It's a snare from the pit of hell. Don't fall into it. The hearts and the will of human beings are fickle. And the security that they offer is nothing more than a house of cards. It will collapse at the slightest blowing of the wind. Psalm 3 teaches us, therefore, to turn our hearts towards the Lord through prayer. For He will neither turn away from us nor turn against us. Instead, in Psalm 116, verse 2, the psalmist writes that because God inclines His ear toward him, He will call on him as long as he lives. Oh, that that would be our posture. That we would know that the Lord inclines His ear toward us, so we will call on Him with every breath that we have, every day of our lives. The second thing I want you to notice in verses 1 and 2 is that David's adversaries are maligning God's character because they don't understand God's grace. David says in verse 2 that many are saying of him, there is no salvation for him in God. At the beginning of David's flight from Absalom, David and his men go through a town called Bahrim on the northeastern slope of the Mount of Olives. In 2 Samuel 16, we read that a man named Shammai, a Benjaminite from the house of Saul, begins to throw stones at David and to curse him as he is going through this town, saying, Get out! Get out, you man of blood, you worthless man! The Lord has avenged on you all the blood of the house of Saul. in whose place you have reigned. And the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. See, your evil is on you, for you are a man of blood." When Abishai, one of David's men, asks David for permission to save the king's honor by personally cutting off Shammai's head, David answers, Behold, my own son seeks my life. How much more now may this Benjaminite leave him alone and let him curse, for the Lord has told him to? It may be that the Lord will look on the wrong done to me, and the Lord will repay me with good for his cursing today. There's two things I want you to notice. First, Shimei calls David a man of blood, and indeed he is. David had led many military campaigns and had therefore shed much blood. But David was also guilty of shedding innocent blood, like the blood of his own general, Uriah, whom David sent to die on the front line in a vain attempt to cover up his adulterous relationship with Uriah's wife, Bathsheba. Whether Shammai is aware of this sinful act of David is beside the point. What we do know is that Shammai holds David responsible for the demise of the house of Saul. In that particular case, wrongly impugning sin to David. And yet, what is evident is that Shammai does not understand God's grace. Because even though David is indeed a man of blood, It is also true that the Lord is a God whose love for his people is steadfast, and whose mercies are new every morning. A God who saves sinners, who saves even men of blood. So the accusation that David hears that there is no salvation for him in God is entirely baseless, not because of David's sinful character, but because of God's righteous character. Secondly, David's response hints that he himself believes that God may be punishing him for his sin. Now listen, God does not punish his people. He punished Jesus in our behalf. But he does discipline and chastise us, as a loving parent does a child. But David's doubt ought to serve as a warning to us, because it shows that one of the devastating consequences of sin is that it tempts us to doubt God's love. Are there times when you doubt God's love? Times when you question the extent of God's mercy? times when you wonder whether His grace is sufficient for you. The conflict in verses 1 and 2 is a conflict between the believer and the unbelieving world, a world which denies that God's grace is real. But it is also a conflict within the believer himself, whose own sin tempts him to deny that God's grace is sufficient for him. So the third lesson Psalm 3 teaches us about prayer is that our sin should not drive us away from God, but should drive us to God. Because He neither turns away from us, nor does He turn us away. So having looked at the context, the covenant, and the conflict, let's consider our fourth heading, the cry. In verses 3 and 4 we read, But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory and the lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill. Notice the contrast of verse 3 with verse 2. In verse 2, the unbelieving world says there is no salvation for the sinner. But in verse 3, says David, but you, O Lord, are a shield about me. The word translated, about me, means around me, behind me, through me, and even for my benefit. The Greek translation of the Old Testament renders it, my helper, or my protector. In other words, far from there being no salvation for the sinner in God, God alone is the sinner's salvation. He is a shield that goes before you, behind you, above you, and around you. He is your helper. He is your protector. And that's not all. In 2 Samuel 15 30, we read that as David fled from Absalom, he ascended the Mount of Olives, weeping barefoot and with his head covered. But now, David's prayer says that God is also his glory and the lifter of his head. A thousand years later, when the son of David ascended the cross on Calvary, his head was also covered and weighed down, this time by a crown of thorns. But His Heavenly Father lifted up His head and raised Him up in glory. And if you are united to Him by faith, so too shall He lift up your head in glory one day. In verse 4, David says that after he cried to the Lord, God answered him from His holy hill. Once again, the context in 2 Samuel sheds light on Psalm 3. In 2 Samuel 15, we read that as David was leading the army out of Jerusalem, two priests brought him the Ark of the Covenant. However, David commanded them to carry the Ark back to the Holy Hill. Instead of falling into superstition by treating the Ark like an amulet, like a good luck charm, David prays that God Himself will protect him and bring him back to the city so that he can see the ark in its dwelling place once again. David cries out to God and God hears his prayer. God protects him. God provides for him. And ultimately, God propels him to victory under God's providential care. You know, studies have shown that children in poorly managed orphanages exhibit the severe emotional and developmental impact of neglect. Many children in these orphanages become emotionally detached and even stop crying altogether, since they learn that their cries does not result in receiving any comfort or attention. So they learn to suppress their emotion. They even learn to suppress the need to cry. And they do this as a coping mechanism. Psalm 3 teaches us that we're not orphans. Psalm 3 teaches us that we don't have to suppress our emotions before our Heavenly Father. Our Heavenly Father does not neglect us. He always hears our cries. He always answers from His holy hill. So the fourth lesson that Psalm 3 teaches us about prayer is that when we cry out to God in prayer, our Heavenly Father will never neglect us. When we cry out to God in prayer, our Heavenly Father will never neglect us. He may not always answer the prayers in the way that we want, but He always answers our prayers according to His good will for us. Like David, it is a good practice, by the way, to write down your prayers so that you can record when and how God answers them. This discipline will help you to give God the glory for his past provision and will embolden your future hope, knowing that the God of the universe hears your voice. So having looked at the context, the covenant, the conflict, and the cry, let's consider our fifth heading, the confidence. In verses 5 and 6 we read, I lay down and slept. I awoke again, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. When we say that some people, or when we say that someone slept like a baby, we mean that such a person slept very soundly, as if that person had no care in the world. Babies really only have two cares. They want to eat, and they want their diaper changed. Luckily for them, they aren't even responsible to make sure that either care is met. A loving parent makes sure that the baby's needs are taken care of. That's why babies sleep like a baby. When you get older, the amount of cares increase, and restful sleep often becomes elusive. As David's grip on his kingdom collapsed, and he found himself running for his life because of his own son's army persecuting him, his own son's army trying to kill him, we might have expected David to ask God to remove his insomnia. Instead, in Psalm 3, David says that he lay down and slept, and he woke up because God sustained him. So with confidence, David boldly declares that he will not be afraid, though many thousands are set against him, as they literally were. Because of verse 5, many commentators consider Psalm 3 to be a mourning prayer. And as such, verses 5 and 6 teach us to entrust our cares to God, for He is the one who sustains us. In the middle of war, David could sleep soundly because he was confident that God would sustain him. But in the middle of the storm, Jesus slept soundly because he is the one who sustains the whole universe by the word of his power, as the author of Hebrews tells us in Hebrews 1.3. In the storms and vicissitudes of life, you might become paralyzed by fear, focusing on the weakness of your flesh instead of focusing on the strength of your Father. If we focused on our own gifts and abilities, we would never dare to plant this church. We would never dare to share the gospel with our friends, with our co-workers. We would never dare to send missionaries to other countries. Our adversaries are too many. Our barriers are too high, and we are too weak, and we are too weary. And yet Psalm 3 invites us to say with David, we will not be afraid, though many thousands set themselves against us. You see, the fifth lesson Psalm 3 teaches us about prayer is that we can pray with confidence because God is the one who sustains us. Therefore, our troubles and challenges should never make us anxious. Instead, we can lift our prayers to the Lord with thanksgiving, confident in His love and power. With a peace that surpasses knowledge, we can go to sleep at night, confident that we will arise in the morning, for God will sustain us. And when the Lord calls us home, We can close our eyes with the same confidence that we shall again hear a voice saying, Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine his light on us. He will sustain us. So having looked at the context, the covenant, the conflict, the cry, and the confidence, let's consider our final heading, the confession. Verses 7 and 8. In verses 7 and 8 we read, Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek, you break the teeth of the wicked. Salvation belongs to the Lord, your blessing be on your people." As you know, Moses led Israel out of Egypt through the wilderness. And whenever they would set out, knowing they would face many dangers, including armies seeking to defeat them, The ark would go before the people of Israel, and Moses would cry out, Arise, O Lord, and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee before you. In 2 Samuel 15, we learn that David did not take the ark to the wilderness, but instead sent the ark back to Jerusalem. However, David knew that God would answer his prayer from his holy hill. So here David proclaims the old battle cry of Israel, summoning the Lord to lead his people to victory and his enemies to resounding defeat. David characterizes his adversaries as wild beasts who are eager to devour him. But to demonstrate his confidence in the Lord, David calls on God to slap his enemies on the cheek, showing his utter disdain for them, for the slap was considered a great insult. And he calls on God to break their teeth, rendering the beasts harmless. In 1 Peter 5, verse 8, Peter writes that our adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But though this is a call to sobriety, it is not a call to fear. For Psalm 3 teaches us that an even greater lion, that is to say the lion of the tribe of Judah, goes into battle for us and before us, breaking our adversary's neck and dashing its teeth from its jaw. David ends Psalm 3 by confessing that salvation belongs to the Lord and that His blessing shall be upon His people. And so the sixth lesson that Psalm 3 teaches us about prayer is that we must pray for the lost. Because salvation is God's work, not theirs. And no adversary will prevail against God's power to save. 2 Samuel 14 says that no one in Israel was more handsome than Absalom. It says that from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head, Absalom was without blemish. But his lust for revenge and his appetite for power caused him to break his father's heart. Yet in the heat of the battle, as he rode his mule, his hair got caught on a tree, and he could not break free from that thick fetter. So Absalom hung on a tree, where he was pierced by a sword, and he died as a curse. For Deuteronomy 21, the chapter that describes the rebellious son, states that the man who hangs on a tree is cursed. Isaiah 53 says that the Messiah's physical appearance had neither majesty nor beauty. Yet in 1 Peter 1, verses 18-19, we read that Jesus is the Lamb without blemish, whose blood cleanses us from our sin. He is not a slave to revenge, but a minister of reconciliation. He has no appetite for power. Rather, his food is to do his father's will. He does not break his father's heart. Rather, his own heart breaks for his people. So he rides a donkey into Jerusalem as David's greater son. And instead of usurping David's crown, he trades his greater crown for a crown of thorns. That's where his hair gets caught, on a crown of thorns, as he hangs on a tree in Calvary. He takes the place of the rebellious sons and daughters of God and he becomes a curse for us, liberating us from the guilt and from the power of sin. Salvation belongs to him because he purchased it. He paid with his blood. And so his blessing is indeed upon us. That's why David ends Psalm 3 by confessing salvation belongs to the Lord. Your blessing be on your people. So, beloved Christian, if adversity is weighing you down, lift up your prayers to God and arise. For the risen one has ascended into heaven and is seated at the Father's right hand. Whereas your high priest, he delights in blessing you. So this church plant will be a praying church. After all, Psalm 3 has taught us that everyone needs to pray. So we will. That prayer is the privilege of God's covenant people. So we will avail ourselves of this right. That our sin should drive us to God, not away from Him. So we will confess our sin, and we will relish His grace. That our Heavenly Father never neglects us when we cry out in prayer, so we will trust Him with our heart's desires. That God sustains us, so we should pray with confidence, so we will be at peace even when God's enemies scheme against us and surround us. And that salvation is God's work, so that we must pray for the lost, so we will never give up on anyone, because mercy triumphs over judgment. So we will pray without ceasing, and God will move without failing. Let's pray.