Journal

Psalm 3 - Waking and sleeping

Posted on November 19th, 2005, in the small hours

I've been reading and meditating on Psalm 3 this week as part of my series on Worshipping with the Psalms.

Psalm 3 introduces another potentially puzzling theme: the psalmist's 'enemies'. I may not relate so directly to the language of 'enemies', but reading that language as troubles and pressures more generally has been encouraging in a week that's had its share of such things. (I'll return to the theme of 'enemies' in the Psalms more directly in a later post.)

The psalm is attributed to David. Most translations include the explanation "A Psalm of David when he fled from his son Absolom" before the text itself. The psalmist opens by setting the context of enemies surrounding him, before affirming his trust in God and his confidence that God will be his deliverance.

This is the first Psalm that addresses God directly. The Vineyard-influenced part of my understanding of worship breathes a sigh of relief to be using the word 'you'.

We also have the first use of the mysterious 'Selah' here in Psalm 3. This word recurs throughout the Psalms, and is thought to signify a pause for emphasis and reflection. Pausing for reflection is very fitting in the context of Psalm 3.

The lines that have stuck with me all week are in verse 5:

I lie down and sleep;
I wake again because the Lord sustains me.

Psalm 3.5

There's something about the rhythm of sleep that reveals God's sustaining faithfulness.

The day often has its own momentum. We can fill the day with plans, worry, talk and action, and in our activity we seem to be taking the lead in coping with everything life throws at us. Then we sleep. Asleep we are inactive, silent and vulnerable. Troubles continue to rage, but we can do nothing to contend with them. We rely on a kind of grace to cover those unconscious hours.

It seems to be a mark of peace to be able to fall asleep easily. There are few things more satisfying than waking from a restful sleep. In the midst of trouble peaceful nights aren't always possible. More often those are times of sleeplessness and waking in restless trepidation. But David, whose enemies were not the kind of generalised 'trouble' I'm writing about (rather men with swords looking to kill him), could report "I lie down and sleep/I wake again because the Lord sustains me."

David's rest is not about brushing trouble aside. His head is not in the sand as he sleeps. This is a deliberate act of trust in God, and we are encouraged to do the same in 1 Peter: "Cast all your anxieties on Him for he cares about you" (1 Peter 5.7). It is God who will "break the teeth" of the enemies that contend against us.

This is "the peace of God that passes understanding". This is the fruit of trust. And this is a God who is worthy of worship.