day 27: Psalm 3- Dysfunction to shalom

​Save Me, O My God
A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.
3 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
 
Meditation
Do you have dysfunction in your family? Growing up we used to laugh as we said our family wanted to keep the “fun” in dysFUNctional. It was never a laughing matter. No one was laughing in 2 Samuel 15, the crown jewel of family dysfunction for King David’s family. David’s son Absalom was seeking his father’s throne and his life, a reaction to David’s absentee parenting in response to the sexual assault of Tamar (David’s daughter and Absalom’s sister).  Psalm 3 was written as David was on the run from his son Absalom.
 
Dysfunction and division do not rule, no matter how difficult the circumstances. This Psalm teaches us that God rules in the midst of our failure and family dysfunction. For those whose faith is in God, He remains a shield and lifter of our head (3). He answers our cries (4). He sustains us, giving us rest (5). He removes our fears and will save (6-7). God possesses salvation and will deal with the perpetrators of the conflict (1-2, 8). We can be at peace in Him, finding our welfare through Him.
 
God’s word reminds us that the difficulties of dysfunction may not disappear in our timing, but as we see in the dysfunction of Joseph’s family in Genesis, what the enemy intends for evil God is working for good (Genesis 50:20).  God is sovereign and we can take our eyes off our circumstances and ourselves and look to Him in faith. God is our shield and lifter of our head!
 
Richly Dwelling
-How would your engagement of family and relational dysfunction be more helpful if you believed God was ruling over the difficulty, working His purposes?
 
-Focusing on the Lord and finding our welfare in Him frees us to focus on the issues needing to be addressed.  The temptation is to see people as the problem. How will your relationships be more fruitful if you are free to love people and address the root issues of dysfunction?
 
-God is your shield, sustainer, and salvation. Do you trust Him in the midst of your dysfunction? Do you have peace? If not, ask Him for the promises of this passage.
 
Key Verse
3 But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.