Burdens feel heavy and drag us down. The weight of too many decisions, the speed of too many obligations and the pressure of the too much all press in on us.
The beauty of God’s Word often lies in its relatability to our own modern lives. David was a king thousands of years ago who never dreamed of the lives we currently hustle through. Yet his God inspired words have shaped the hearts of so many Christ followers.
Burdened by foes that press in, our fleshly desires, our community opinions, the noise of life and even the enemy of our souls, leave us doubting God.
How can we find the reprieve we need and the soul care that heals the weariness so that we might step into the day with a right perspective?
David puts pen to parchment with the exclamation in Psalm 3 of his many foes and the hopelessness of the lies his soul is feeling.
He is overwhelmed and overburdened and just plain over it. Boy, can I relate!
But then we see David’s heart shift when he reorients towards the Lord in verse three.
“But You, O LORD…” When we are navigating the muddy places of arguments, sadness, and overwhelmed with confusion, the lifting of our hearts begins right there with “but You, O LORD.” He is the pivot in our downward spiral. He is the hope in the overwhelm and the light in the dark places.
Begin with Him and refocus the blurriness of our heart.
Then David reminds the Lord and really more so, his own heart of who God is.
“ [you] are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.” When I am burdened with the weight of a health diagnosis or my husband’s recent heart attack or construction in our home or carrying the burdens of my own children’s disappointments, I have found that reminding my heart of who He is matters.
Even if we think we know who God is and His character, our wandering hearts are so prone to forget that daily reminders are needed.
There have been seasons when I was so desperate to have Him lift my chin, that I needed daily refocusing on His names or attributes. I would go through a list of His attributes and tell Him aloud who He is. Obviously, HE hadn’t forgotten but I sure had!
We often need to council our hearts with truth and He knows that and has offered these truths in grace for us to soak in.
“I cried aloud to the LORD,” David directs his cries to the Lord. I too easily tend to direct my cries or complaints to my husband, or friends, rather than first just taking them to Him. He is the One who cares the most and He is the only One who can do anything about that which burdens my heart. He can lift that weight and lighten my soul like no one else. So why go elsewhere?
In the same breath, David cries to God and recognizes that He answers from His holy hill. God is not far off and unaware. He is near, present yet holy. He hears you, even before you cry out. HE draws near with patience and grace. He leans in like an attentive, loving father and he gently lifts our chins towards Himself.
When we pivot these weighed down hearts towards Him, remind our weary souls of who He is and cry out to Him, knowing that He hears with attention and love, our chins will be lifted and though we will still walk through muddy waters of life, we will have a lightness in our step as we are continually lifted nearer to Him. Let’s step into our day lifted and light with reoriented hearts towards the Father.
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Yes, I love that. But, YOU! Amen and Praise God for being who He is.
Amie, FMF #14
makes all the difference for our wandering hearts to tether them to Him, amen?! 🙂
I appreciate how you articulated this, Mariel, “But You, O Lord. He is the pivot.” This is so true! He pivots, shifts, changes our perspective. This is good, “Even if we think we know who God is and His character, our wandering hearts are so prone to forget that daily reminders are needed.” It is good to remind our souls every day with who He is.
~Lisa, FMF #12