The Remedy for Tension

KEY VERSE:
Psalm 3 English Standard Version (ESV)
Save Me, O My God A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.
1 O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me;
2 many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God. Selah
3 But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.
4 I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah
5 I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
6 I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.
7 Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.
8 Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing be on your people! Selah

Tension headaches, nervous stomachs, and spastic colons are signs of the times. In Psalm 3, King David had reason for all three, having been driven from his palace by rebel forces commanded by his son, Absalom (2 Sam. 15–18), yet he found a remedy for tension -God!

 

I. STORMS WILL BLOW IN (VV. 1–2).

Psalm 3:1-2 1
1 O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me;
2 many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God.

A. David’s critics claimed not even God could help him.
B. Sometimes despair can lead us to feel like God can’t or won’t help us.
C. While hanging on the Cross, Jesus asked why has God forsaken Him.
D. When everything goes wrong we can feel like it will never get better and it can feel like everyone, including God, has left us!
E. If we are not careful, our despair can dampen our faith in God. David did NOT allow his despair to affect his faith!

 

II. DESPAIR LOOKS DOWN BUT FAITH LOOKS UP!

Psalm 3:3-4
3 But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.
4 I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill.

A. Our response to trails should be one of FAITH! Remembering that GOD is our Shield!
B. David remembered who kept him. David leaned on God’s Strength to get him through and not his own!
C. When we look to ourselves to solve life’s hardest trials, we often faint. We must keep our eyes fixed on our SHIELD!

Ephesians 6:16
In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;

 

III. WE LIE DOWN WHILE GOD STANDS UP FOR US.

Psalm 3:5-6
5 I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
6 I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.

A. Faith enables us to rest, both physically and mentally.

Matthew 11:28
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

B. Resting in the Lord does NOT mean you we do NOTHING. But rather we trust in Him and Obey Him as He guides us. We are at peace knowing He can be trusted!

Isaiah 26:3
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.

E. Satan would have your mind on your problems in order to cause you more tension!

 

IV. WHEN WE STAND STILL, GOD GOES FORTH.

Psalm 3:7-8 7
7 Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.
8 Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing be on your people!

A. Many times we hinder God’s response to our needs simply because we are too busy trying to fix it ourselves. We need to trust Him instead!

Psalm 46:10
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

B. God does not want us to move in any direction until He gives us direction.

C. Often when God tells us to be “STILL”, He means for us to be at peace, not to fret, not to panic, not to act rashly.

Mark 4:39
And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

No matter what the cause of your tension, God is the remedy. Trust in Him. Call on Him and Obey Him as you Rest in Him.