Blessed Are His People

July 22nd, 2026
by David Bempong

[ READ ] Psalm 3

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

David is running from Absalom, his own son. Soldiers are somewhere behind him. And what they're saying is worse than the chase. "There is no salvation for him in God" (v2).
Then verse 5. David down. He sleeps. He wakes up. In this context, these words are shocking. The word behind "sustained" pictures a hand placed under something to hold it up, the kind of support that catches weight before it falls.
Most of us won't ever have an army at our back. But we know the 2am kind of crisis. And sleep in the middle of that can feel like defeat. David shows us that sometimes the most honest prayer isn't another round of trying to fix it. It's closing your eyes and trusting that you'll still be held while you're not looking.
- David Bempong

[ EXAMINE ] the passage. At this point, answer some questions about the meaning of the text. Take time to reflect.
+ What exactly do David's enemies say about him in verse 2, and why might that be more painful than the danger itself?
+ Verse 5 uses three plain, physical verbs: lie down, sleep, wake. What does that sequence suggest about David's state, given everything happening around him?
+ David calls God his shield, his glory, and the one who lifts his head (v3). What does each image add that the others don't?

[ APPLY ] the passage to your own life.
+ Is there sin to confess or a next step to take? How has it gone since last time?
+ Try praying verse 5 tonight as your own words before you turn off the light.

[ PRAY ] through the passage and your application, and ask God to change your heart and your life.
+ Pray with me:
Lord, you know what it is to be surrounded, though I've never known it the way David did. Tonight I bring you whatever is chasing me, the things that feel bigger in the dark than they do in daylight. Be the hand underneath me that I don't have to feel to trust. Let me lie down. Let me actually sleep. Amen.

[ SHARE ] what God is teaching you with at least one person: your roommate,
your spouse, your kids, or your coworkers. Don’t keep what God taught you to
yourself.
(e.g., your family around the dinner table, a friend, co-worker or neighbor- for help join a community group at downtownhope.org/community-groups)
+ Who do you know who's in a season where sleep feels impossible? Consider sending them verse 5 today, not as advice, just as a reminder that someone's thinking of them.