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Verse of the Month - Oct 2017

[3] But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. (Psalm 3:3 ESV)

One of the things that I love about the Bible is that it doesn’t sugarcoat life.  It always meets us where we are at.  There are most definitely seasons of life that are filled with joy and abundance, but there are also seasons of difficulty.  The good news is that the Bible doesn’t shy away from this reality.  Truth be told, we have all experienced difficult, whether it is relational strife, loss of a loved one, addiction, financial issues, etc.  These are all realities of living in a world that has been ravaged by sin.

In Psalm 3, David has found himself in an extremely difficult season of life.  David’s son, Absalom, has led a coup to remove David from the throne and now David is fleeing for his life (see 2 Samuel 14-15).  It is in this mess that David writes these words.  In verse 1-2 David explains the situation saying that many are rising against him.  He gives us this picture that he feels like a man who is being crushed by a boa constrictor.  The pressure is continuing to mount against David and in this pressure we get a glimpse of four truths about God’s character found in verse 3.  David stands on these truths in his time of need.  Those truths are that God is sovereign, a shield, a great reward, and the one who accepts us.

In verse 3, David uses God’s name, Yahweh (LORD), which speaks of God’s total sovereignty over everything.  It brings to memory how God defeated Pharaoh’s army and parted the Red Sea in order to lead the people of Israel out of slavery on dry ground.  David goes on to write that Yahweh is a shield about him.  The Israelite warrior had a variety of shields to use, some shields were smaller and some larger.  David draws on the imagery of the largest shield available.  This shield covered the entire body of the soldier so that there was no vulnerability.  This is the type of shield that God is for those who fear him.  No matter what flies our way, we can know that Yahweh is a shield about us.  David next says that God is his glory.  David’s reward is not found in the throne that he has lost or a reconciled relationship with his son, but rather God alone.  God is his prize and great reward.  The final truth that we see is the beauty of God’s acceptance.  When David writes that God is the lifter of his head, it is a way of speaking about God’s approval.  David knows that even in the ugliest of situations, he has been accepted by God. 

In our difficult seasons of life, we too like David can know that God is sovereign, a shield, a great reward, and the one who accepts us in Christ.

Written by Pastor Rick Bartek

Verse of the Month - Aug 2017

[3] Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. (Psalm 63:3 ESV)

If you live in Nebraska during the summers and spend any amount of time outside, you will surely become thirsty.  If you don’t seek out a drink to quench your thirst, the result can be detrimental to your health.  But it is important to point out that what you drink matters.  For instance, if you tried to drink sand, it wouldn’t satisfy your thirst at all. It would actually accentuate the problem you feel.  If you drank a glass of milk, your thirst might be subsided momentarily, but it would actually dehydrate you further.  The solution to our physical thirst is to drink something that will actually work to hydrate you, such as water or gatorade. The truth is that our physical thirst is a shadow of our deep spiritual thirst that needs to be quenched.  In Ecclesiastes 3:11, Solomon writes that God has placed eternity into the heart of man.  In other words, God has created you with an ingrained thirst for Him.  Sadly, we often at times try to quench that thirst with things that only leave us more thirsty.  So what is the answer?

In Psalm 63 we observe the plea of David for the presence of God.  The psalm comes in three stages which can be labeled as thirst, fulfillment, and deliverance.  In verse 1, David describes his thirst for God.  We get the picture that God is like the rare commodity of water in a desert which David longs and thirsts for.  David has an understanding that in the “wilderness” times of life, his soul needs to drink from the eternal well that never runs dry.  David finds his fulfillment as he looks upon God and sees His power and glory (v 2).  These two characteristics of God reassure David of God’s sovereign control, His matchless beauty, and unfading love which does not shift regardless of life circumstance.  They are like a cold glass of water in the desert place!  David responds in doxology by saying, “Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you” (v. 3).  Seeing God and beholding His glory and power builds in David a trust of deliverance knowing that ultimately all things will be made right.

For the Christian today, we can drink of the Jesus who is the living water in times of wilderness because on the cross Jesus thirsted and shed His blood for us.  By the power of the Holy Spirit who lives inside of us, we too can behold God’s power and glory found in the person and work of our Lord Jesus.  From “his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace” and in Jesus we have seen the glory of God. (Jn 1:14, 16).  

Written by Pastor Rick Bartek