Good Morning,
Psalms 3 and 4 are two my favorite psalms. They are known as the Morning and Evening Psalms.
We can praise Him, that He is the lifter of our head even when we are downcast. At a time of great despair, distress, discouragement, and danger, David praised God with the words, "But You, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory and the lifter of my head." (Psalm 3:3) No matter the severity of the adversity you may be passing through, the Lord is available to be your shield and the lifter of your downcast emotions. Be assured that no one is immune from adversity, hardship, or attack from our enemies. When we know that there will be opposition we can more effectively prepare for it in advance. Praise God that He is our lifter, our liberator, and the one who buoys our minds, hearts, and motivations. Praise God that He elevates us above our worries, fears, and short-sightedness. He alone has the power to work in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure. He buoys us up when we are tempted to give in to discouragement.
RESCUER - There are many times when we will need to be rescued. No one is exempt from feeling or experiencing discouraging times. David wrote, "The Lord is my refuge and strength; a very present help in the time of trouble. Therefore, I will not fear, though the mountains give way and they fall in to the heart of the sea. There is a river that makes glad the city of our God." (Psalm 46:1,2) David knew that even though Absalom, his son, was chasing him, and this fact caused great distress and shame. Yet God’s presence provided comfort, relief, and assurance of deliverance. The Lord’s presence enables us to realize that God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind (self-control). 2 Timothy 1:7 We need not fear the attacks of enemies because God surrounds us and protects us with His mighty shield. His presence becomes our glory, bringing His beauty, dignity, and majesty to remake our sense of worth. When our heads our bowed and we are overflowing with sadness, fear, and dismay, the Lord rushes to our rescue.
SHIELD - David praised God for being His protector from spiritual, social, verbal, emotional, political, and physical danger. We need the Lord’s protection; the help of man is often worthless. We must not think that we can lift ourselves out of our ruts by ourselves. Instead, we can worship and thank God for protecting and delivering us from all kinds of evil. Even Jesus prayed, "Lead us not in to temptation but deliver us from evil, for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever." (Matthew 6:6-9) We can honor the Lord for providing us with the shield of faith so that we can "quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one". (Ephesians 6:16-18)
GLORY - We can praise God that His very being consists of glory. David knew that the presence of God was so real that he could feel the filling up of his frazzled emotions with the bestowal of God’s glory, honor and dignity. It is a great assurance to know that the Lord bestows upon us His very glory during our most depressing times when it might appear we are up against an enemy that seems greater than our human ability to cope. Praise God that He endues us with His sense of honor, dignity, and joy in the midst of terrible adversity.
REST and RELAXATION, and RECUPERATION - God gave David rest, relief, and relaxation. David wrote, "I laid me down and slept and awaked; for the Lord sustained me." (Psalm 3:5) Praise God that He replenishes our soul, spirit, mind, body, emotions and motivations with His rest. So many people have a hard time recharging their batteries because they do not look to the Lord for rest. Many lack a sense of renewal, revival, and revitalization because they are not asking the Lord to help them lay down and rest in Him.
LIFTER - We can praise God that He lifts us above the circumstances, adversity and discouragements of the day. He has a way of taking us on to higher ground. He lovingly lifts us up so we can see Him. As we look in His face, we are comforted, encouraged and reassured by the fellowship of the Spirit, the consolation of His love, and His affection and compassion. He uses all kinds of means to lift us up if we will trust, obey, love, and worship Him with all our believing heart.
SUSTAINER - We can praise God that He provides us with what is necessary to keep us going when we think all of our energy is depleted. David wrote, "The Lord sustained me." You cannot sustain yourself; neither can other people provide you with what is needed to finish the race. He provides you with the emotional, mental, physical and spiritual sustenance to complete the tasks He assigns. "I cried unto the Lord with my voice and He heard me out of His holy hill." He truly is our glory and the lifter of our heads. He lifts us up so that our minds, eyes, and perspective can experience the overcoming of all our problems.
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axqXMuW8x1U&feature=related
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