I SLEEP AND I WAKE AGAIN BECAUSE THE LORD SUSTAINS ME

Proclamation:

“But You, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, The One who lifts my head high.  I call out to The Lord, and He answers me from His Holy Mountain.  I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because The Lord sustains me.”  Psalm 3:3-5 (NIV)

Explanation:

This psalm of King David was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  This psalm deals with David’s predicament, his peace, and his prayer.  It is thought to have been written when he was fleeing from his son Absalom.  David knew that he had many enemies. (Psalm 3:1)  He also knew that The Lord God was his protection.  In his times of trouble David turned to The Lord. (Psalm 3:3-4)  He knew that God heard him cry out, and he knew that God would answer his prayers. (Psalm 3:4)  David knew that he could lie down at night and sleep in peace because The Lord God would watch over him, sustain him, and wake him in the morning. (Psalm 3:5)  David knew that from The Lord God comes deliverance and blessings. (Psalm 3:8)

Application:

We can learn a lot from David.  He was far from perfect, but he was a man after God’s own heart. (Acts 13:22)  We know that it is The Lord that shields us and protects us from our enemies, and from all forms of hurt, harm, and danger.  The Bible states that The Lord is “my shield” six times. (Psalm 7:10, Psalm 18:2, Psalm 18:35, Psalm 28:7, Psalm 119:114, and Psalm 144:2)  Six times The Bible states that The Holy Spirit of God “lifted me up.” (Ezekiel 3:12, Ezekiel 3:14, Ezekiel 8:3, Ezekiel 11:1, Ezekiel 11:24, and Ezekiel 43:5)  The Lord can lift us up in many ways, including physically, emotionally, spiritually, financially, socially, and intellectually.  There are so many ways in which He can and does bless us.  It is The Lord God that sustains us and delivers us.  We know that The Lord hears and answers prayers. (Psalm 120:1)  We can have peace in the midst of a storm.  It is only by the grace and peace of God that we can go to sleep each night and wake up the next morning.  God grants a peaceful night’s sleep to those that He loves. (Psalm 127:2)  We ought to thank Him each morning for watching over us as we slumbered and slept, and for blessing us to see a new day.