God!
Look!
Enemies past counting!
Enemies sprouting like mushrooms, Mobs of them all around me, roaring their mockery: “Hah! No help for him from God!”
But you, God, shield me on all sides; You ground my feet, you lift my head high; With all my might I shout up to God, His answers thunder from the holy mountain.
I stretch myself out. I sleep.
Then I’m up again—rested, tall and steady, Fearless before the enemy mobs coming at me from all sides.
Up, God! My God, help me!
Slap their faces, First this cheek, then the other, Your fist hard in their teeth!
Real help comes from God.
Your blessing clothes your people!
Psalm 3
The impact of a relationship with this heavenly father is outlined. The Holy love, is a shield to me, making my feet firm and steady,– making me stable, making my sight clear, taking away all inability. All this because in love he has made me a participant in a face to face relationship with himself.
Through the grace, mercy of God I have the ability to be at rest to stretch my self out and to be vulnerable, totally exposed, liberated and free.
The CONTEXT of this Psalm:–
When his son Absalom rebelled (2 Sam. 15), David’s friends advised him to expect no help from God (3:1–2). Yet David declared his faith in God and looked to him for help (3:3–4). With this assurance he could lie down in peace, though 10,000 enemies surrounded him (3:5–8).
David Gods chosen King waited for God to make right the wrong things that had been done against him.
The king’s patient waiting resulted in blessing for the people Similarly, Christ’s waiting for God’s vindication has issued perfect blessing and salvation for all believers.
Guarded in Battle …… what battles are you facing today…… look at how David faced the battle.
This Psalm was written by David when he fled for his life from his son Absalom It is divided into four sections….
The present distress
What distress are you walking through……remember that your God is more than enough to be the lifter of your head today….
The glorious deliverer
remind yourself of the testimonies of God at work in your life….
The sublime confidence
By Gods grace a ridiculous boldness can be yours today
The climatic petition
Remind God of Gods promise and Gods faithfulness to date
The Psalm concludes with a prayer and memories of Gods past deliverances….. we would do well to remind ourselves daily of the abundance grace and faithfulness of God towards us.
David encouraged himself in the fact that God had kept him through the night
I lay down, and I slept; I awoke, because the Lord sustained me.
On the basis of this deliverance, the psalmist expressed his absence of fear over the thousands who took their stand against him on every side.
The psalm instructs those who are in the midst of danger to trust in the Lord for protection while they sleep.
David began the psalm with complaints of the strength and malice of his enemies, but concludes it with exultation in the power and grace of his God, and finally sees more with him than against him.
Two great truths are displayed here for us to see…..
(1) That salvation belongs to the Lord; God has power to save, however large the danger; it is his prerogative to save, when all other help fails; it is his pleasure, it is his property, it is his promise to those that are his, whose salvation is not of themselves, but of the Lord. So easily said but some times so need a reminder.
(2) That Gods blessing is on Gods people; Gods not only has power to save them, but has assured them of Gods kind and gracious intentions towards them. God has, in his word, pronounced a blessing upon his people; and we are bound to believe that blessing rests upon them. God’s people, though they may lie under the reproaches of men, are surely blessed of him, who blesses indeed, and therefore can command a blessing.
Real help comes from God. Your blessing clothes your people!
O Lord help us to see that this blessing festoons us, that the blessing of God is that which dresses us. The white robe (Revelation) given to us is a blessing, clothing us, the robes of righteousness all these speak of a blessing clothed people.
Of course we can decide to take on the clothing or take off the clothing, to display the blessing wearing it as a garment or leave it in the cupboard.
How many clothes, and jackets do you try on before you decide what to wear? Can we decide to wear the clothes of His blessing today?
Can we see here the continuity of “…Put on Christ…” “…taking off the old…”?
Blessing is to be worn
That men might see, the goodness of the Father to his people.
We have been adorned with the blessed clothing of protection while we sleep, we rest in him and arise having being clothed in blessing.
In Gen 3:21 we read of God clothing Adam which is the first mention of clothing, we see that when man is in loss, God clothes him. Showing us the sacrifice, provision and blessing of God.
In the midst of failure God blesses us and clothes us, in the face of enemies we are clothed….. we see the continuity of Gods action throughout the scripture beginning with Adam… in the Psalms with David and into the new testament….. we are clothed with Christ, we receive the blessing of that covenant clothing of that royal priesthood upon us.
The last mention in the OT of clothing is that of the priest Joshua with the removal of dirty garments and the replacement of festal garments, the garments of office, garments of blessing.
Zechariah 3:3-5
Now Joshua was clothed with filthygarments and standing before the angelHe spokeand said to those who were standing before him, saying, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” Again he said to him, “See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes.”
Then I said, “Let them put a cleanturban on his head.” So they puta cleanturban on his head and clothed him with garments, while the angel of the Lord was standing by.
Last mention of clothing in the New Testament is in:-
Revelation 19:7-9
“Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has madeherselfready.”
It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous actsof the saints.
Then he said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ ” And he *said to me, “Theseare true wordsof God.”
This bride is clothed in right clothing… she is ready……
Gal 3:27
For all of you whowere baptized into Christhave clothed yourselves with Christ.
Clothe yourself with Christ today whatever battles you have to face
Clothe yourself with blessing
Clothe yourself with rest
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If we keep putting things off we will never achieve anything – ‘But surely churches, communities with an all out kind of commitment are bound to loose people?’
start with where you are, be a committed person to create a committed community. These communities are authentic, what the world is waiting for, they are not self-serving or self-centred but are given, willing to live a poured out, being a drink offering, as Jesus lived a poured out life for the cause of the Father, it’s for us to be poured out for our streets and the Father’s cause.
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