A Shield Around Me
Hi everyone. It’s Tricia. I’m here to introduce Pastor Dave’s devotion for the Alone With God journal guide. If you have an Alone With God journal, please turn it to a page titled “Daily Journal.” Grab a Bible and a pen, and get ready to meet with the Lord in this devotion. If you don’t have an Alone With God journal, you can order one at Wordbymail.com.
I pray God speaks to you through his Living Word and by his Holy Spirit as you meet with him in your alone time today.
Here’s Pastor Dave.
Today, we’re going to be looking at Psalm 3. So, if you’re in a place where you can open your Bible with me, please do that. Grab your Bible. Open it. And if you’re a writer, then get your journal out to record your interactions with God this morning and as we go through his Word.
This devotion this morning with Psalm 3 is going to be in our Anxiety and Worry category of devotions. And I’ll be reading and praying parts of Psalm 3 today. But I’m going to be doing it in a devotional way to help you get ready for the important parts of the real devotion – that’s the application and the response parts of your time with the Lord.
So, I won’t be reading every verse. And I’ll be paraphrasing some verses. Which just means kind of putting them in my own words. And I’ll be praying some verses, and I’ll be praying after some verses. And this is just the Meditation part of our devotion. And so, as I give you the context, and as I pray, and as I’m kind of going back and forth and reading and praying, you set your mind on God’s Word. You allow God’s Word to begin to sink into your heart and allow the Holy Spirit to begin applying God’s Word to your specific circumstances or your situation today.
So, if you’re open to Psalm 3, if you can in your Bible, let’s get some context.
Psalm 3 and probably Psalm 4 were both most likely written when David was driven out of Jerusalem, running for his life, because his son, Absalom, had stolen the kingdom from him. You can find the story in 2 Samuel 15 and the chapters following. Absalom, David’s own son, had convinced the people to turn against David. Absalom had taken the kingdom by deceit and manipulation, and Absalom had David running for his own life. Running for his life from his own son.
His anxiety and his grief had to be off the chart. David was crushed, but he knew the Lord was still with him.
Psalm 3:1 David says, O Lord, I have so many enemies; so many are against me. And Lord, we may say the same thing today. We may feel the same way today, Lord; there are so many things coming against us. We feel so surrounded, even crushed by our circumstances.
But Psalm 3:3 says, But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high. Lord, it’s you. You are my shield. You are my glory. You are the lifter of my head. I trust you, Lord. I depend on you, Lord. I rely on you, I rely on you alone, Lord.
Just as Psalm 3:4 says, I cried out to (you) Lord, and (you) answered me from (heaven) from your holy (place), Lord. You heard my cry, and you answered me. And so, as verse 5 says, I laid down and slept. Lord, I was able to lay down and sleep. And I woke up in safety, Lord, for (you) were watching over me because you are my shield, Lord, because you do answer me from heaven.
Psalm 3:6 says I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies who surround me on every side. And Lord, we say today, I am not afraid of my circumstances though they surround me on every side. Though it feels like they’re crushing in on me, Lord, I’m not afraid because of who you are in my life, Lord, because I know you. And because you know me. And because you are my shield, you are my glory, Lord. You are the lifter of my head. And so, I cry out to you in faith, Lord.
From Psalm 3:7-8. (I cried) Arise, O Lord! Rescue me my God! My victory (verse 8 says) will come from you, O Lord. My strength will come from you, Lord. My peace will come from you, Lord. You are my shield. You are my glory. You are the lifter of my head; you’re the one who holds my head high. And so, Lord, I trust in you alone.
I will lay down and sleep, Lord, and I will wake up in safety because you are watching over me because you are my victory, you are my strength, and you are my peace, Lord. Thank you, Jesus.
So now, comes your turn. You’ve been listening to me pray. I pray the Holy Spirit’s been bringing up in your heart the way that God’s Word relates, the way that God’s Word speaks to your situation, your circumstances today. And so, now it’s time to Apply God’s Word.
The question is, how does this scripture and our prayer today apply to your life specifically? Personally? Have you been asking God to search you and to show you where the Word applies? If so, then talk to him about it right now. Write if you’re a journaler. Write about it, right now. How do these words in Psalm 3 from King David relate to your life today? You can pause this devotion and pray. You can write. But make sure you know where this is applying to your life today.
And then, the third step in the real devotion, is to take action. It’s to Respond to the Lord. How can you respond to the Lord today about this scripture in Psalm 3? About these truths – that though your circumstances may be crushing in around you, though you may feel so overwhelmed that the Lord is with you. That he is your shield. That he’s the lifter of your head. He will answer you from Heaven. You can lay down in peace and sleep. And you will wake up in safety because the Lord is watching over you.
How do you respond? How do you respond to the Lord in your specific situation? That thing that the Holy Spirit is bringing up in your heart, what’s your response to God? Is there something you can do? Is there something you can say to the Lord? Is there some commitment in your heart that you can make to the Lord? Is there something you need to say to someone else about this? If you write, can you write about this?
Lord, you are my shield; you are my glory. You are the lifter of my head. You are my protector. You are my covering, Lord. You are my shepherd. And so, Lord, though my circumstances surround me, though they feel like they’re crushing me, I’m not afraid of them, Lord. I cry out to you, Lord. Rise up and rescue me, my God! My victory will come from you, Lord. My strength in these circumstances will come from you. And Lord, most importantly, my peace will come from you, Lord. My peace will come from you, Lord. Not even from my circumstances being fixed, but from you.
I trust you, Lord. I trust you in the midst of what I am going through. I surrender to you, Lord. And I trust your will, your protection, your grace, your power, and your peace.
Are you sure you’ve applied this to your life today and are you sure you’ve responded. Not just listened to me, but have you genuinely responded to the Lord? Don’t let up until you do. Pause this devotion and respond. Write in your Bible a commitment that you’re making today with the Lord. Write in a journal. If you’re unable to open your Bible or write, then pray. Pray. Maybe call someone and tell them what the Lord is doing in your heart right now. Make it real.
God bless you as you walk in peace, and assurance, and security with the Lord today.
In your name, Jesus, we go. Amen.
I pray God speaks to you through his Living Word and by his Holy Spirit as you meet with him in your alone time today.
Here’s Pastor Dave.
Today, we’re going to be looking at Psalm 3. So, if you’re in a place where you can open your Bible with me, please do that. Grab your Bible. Open it. And if you’re a writer, then get your journal out to record your interactions with God this morning and as we go through his Word.
This devotion this morning with Psalm 3 is going to be in our Anxiety and Worry category of devotions. And I’ll be reading and praying parts of Psalm 3 today. But I’m going to be doing it in a devotional way to help you get ready for the important parts of the real devotion – that’s the application and the response parts of your time with the Lord.
So, I won’t be reading every verse. And I’ll be paraphrasing some verses. Which just means kind of putting them in my own words. And I’ll be praying some verses, and I’ll be praying after some verses. And this is just the Meditation part of our devotion. And so, as I give you the context, and as I pray, and as I’m kind of going back and forth and reading and praying, you set your mind on God’s Word. You allow God’s Word to begin to sink into your heart and allow the Holy Spirit to begin applying God’s Word to your specific circumstances or your situation today.
So, if you’re open to Psalm 3, if you can in your Bible, let’s get some context.
Psalm 3 and probably Psalm 4 were both most likely written when David was driven out of Jerusalem, running for his life, because his son, Absalom, had stolen the kingdom from him. You can find the story in 2 Samuel 15 and the chapters following. Absalom, David’s own son, had convinced the people to turn against David. Absalom had taken the kingdom by deceit and manipulation, and Absalom had David running for his own life. Running for his life from his own son.
His anxiety and his grief had to be off the chart. David was crushed, but he knew the Lord was still with him.
Psalm 3:1 David says, O Lord, I have so many enemies; so many are against me. And Lord, we may say the same thing today. We may feel the same way today, Lord; there are so many things coming against us. We feel so surrounded, even crushed by our circumstances.
But Psalm 3:3 says, But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high. Lord, it’s you. You are my shield. You are my glory. You are the lifter of my head. I trust you, Lord. I depend on you, Lord. I rely on you, I rely on you alone, Lord.
Just as Psalm 3:4 says, I cried out to (you) Lord, and (you) answered me from (heaven) from your holy (place), Lord. You heard my cry, and you answered me. And so, as verse 5 says, I laid down and slept. Lord, I was able to lay down and sleep. And I woke up in safety, Lord, for (you) were watching over me because you are my shield, Lord, because you do answer me from heaven.
Psalm 3:6 says I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies who surround me on every side. And Lord, we say today, I am not afraid of my circumstances though they surround me on every side. Though it feels like they’re crushing in on me, Lord, I’m not afraid because of who you are in my life, Lord, because I know you. And because you know me. And because you are my shield, you are my glory, Lord. You are the lifter of my head. And so, I cry out to you in faith, Lord.
From Psalm 3:7-8. (I cried) Arise, O Lord! Rescue me my God! My victory (verse 8 says) will come from you, O Lord. My strength will come from you, Lord. My peace will come from you, Lord. You are my shield. You are my glory. You are the lifter of my head; you’re the one who holds my head high. And so, Lord, I trust in you alone.
I will lay down and sleep, Lord, and I will wake up in safety because you are watching over me because you are my victory, you are my strength, and you are my peace, Lord. Thank you, Jesus.
So now, comes your turn. You’ve been listening to me pray. I pray the Holy Spirit’s been bringing up in your heart the way that God’s Word relates, the way that God’s Word speaks to your situation, your circumstances today. And so, now it’s time to Apply God’s Word.
The question is, how does this scripture and our prayer today apply to your life specifically? Personally? Have you been asking God to search you and to show you where the Word applies? If so, then talk to him about it right now. Write if you’re a journaler. Write about it, right now. How do these words in Psalm 3 from King David relate to your life today? You can pause this devotion and pray. You can write. But make sure you know where this is applying to your life today.
And then, the third step in the real devotion, is to take action. It’s to Respond to the Lord. How can you respond to the Lord today about this scripture in Psalm 3? About these truths – that though your circumstances may be crushing in around you, though you may feel so overwhelmed that the Lord is with you. That he is your shield. That he’s the lifter of your head. He will answer you from Heaven. You can lay down in peace and sleep. And you will wake up in safety because the Lord is watching over you.
How do you respond? How do you respond to the Lord in your specific situation? That thing that the Holy Spirit is bringing up in your heart, what’s your response to God? Is there something you can do? Is there something you can say to the Lord? Is there some commitment in your heart that you can make to the Lord? Is there something you need to say to someone else about this? If you write, can you write about this?
Lord, you are my shield; you are my glory. You are the lifter of my head. You are my protector. You are my covering, Lord. You are my shepherd. And so, Lord, though my circumstances surround me, though they feel like they’re crushing me, I’m not afraid of them, Lord. I cry out to you, Lord. Rise up and rescue me, my God! My victory will come from you, Lord. My strength in these circumstances will come from you. And Lord, most importantly, my peace will come from you, Lord. My peace will come from you, Lord. Not even from my circumstances being fixed, but from you.
I trust you, Lord. I trust you in the midst of what I am going through. I surrender to you, Lord. And I trust your will, your protection, your grace, your power, and your peace.
Are you sure you’ve applied this to your life today and are you sure you’ve responded. Not just listened to me, but have you genuinely responded to the Lord? Don’t let up until you do. Pause this devotion and respond. Write in your Bible a commitment that you’re making today with the Lord. Write in a journal. If you’re unable to open your Bible or write, then pray. Pray. Maybe call someone and tell them what the Lord is doing in your heart right now. Make it real.
God bless you as you walk in peace, and assurance, and security with the Lord today.
In your name, Jesus, we go. Amen.
Posted in Journal Guides
Tagged with Alone With God Journal Guide, Daily Journal, Journal Guide, Guided Journal, Anxiety, Peace
Tagged with Alone With God Journal Guide, Daily Journal, Journal Guide, Guided Journal, Anxiety, Peace