Even When We Are Downcast He Lifts Our Head (Psa 3:3-5)
We can praise God that He is the lifter of our head even when we are downcast. At a time of great despair, distress, discouragement and danger, David praised God with the words, "But You, O Lord, art a shield for me. My glory and the lifter of my head." (Psa 3:3)
No matter the severity of the adversity you may be passing through, the Lord is available to be your shield and the elevator of your downcast emotions. Know that no one is immune from adversity, hardship or attack from our enemies. When we know that there will be opposition we can more effectively prepare for it in advance. Praise God that He is our lifter, our liberator and the one who buoys our mind, heart, and motivations.
Lifter - Praise God that He elevates us above our worries, fears and short-sightedness. He alone has the power to work in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure. He buoys us up when we are about to fall into the temptation of giving in to discouragement:
Illustration: from INSIGHTS from Bill Bright
Reflections from the late Founder and President/Chairman Emeritus of
Campus Crusade for Christ International
The Day My Father Died
It was approximately 11 p.m., the evening before Easter in 1982, that I received word that my father had gone to be with the Lord.
Because of his serious illness, the news was not unexpected, but at the same time it was a cause for great sadness. I suddenly had the grievous
feeling that accompanies the death of any loved one -- the feeling that I would never see my father again in this world. With that realization came a flood of tears.
I fell to my knees to praise, worship and give thanks to the Lord, who is sovereign above all. "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints" (Psalm 116:15, KJV). The New Living Translation says,
"The LORD’s loved ones are precious to him; it grieves him when they die," which tells me that the Lord was grieving with me. Even though the Lord knew my father was better off with Him in glory, God compassionately identifies with us in all our trials.
The body which had encased my father for 93 years had now been discarded like a worn out suit of clothes. With my praise to God came His gracious, supernatural peace and assurance that now my father was with
the Lord forevermore, and one day I would see him again in his resurrection body.
During one of my visits to the cemetery to visit the graves of my mother and father, I gave thanks to our gracious Lord for their long, rich lives, especially for the 36 years which I had shared with my father
after I had the privilege of introducing him to the Lord.
As I started to walk away, I saw next to his resting place a very short grave. Apparently, according to the inscription on the stone, it was the grave of a baby that had been born and died the same day. Here
almost side by side were buried the bodies of my 93-year-old father and a 1-day-old baby.
No one has a claim on life. No one knows how long he will live. The only thing that really matters in our lives is what we do for Christ. To this end we are to live holy lives, trust Him, love Him with all our
hearts, minds and souls, and do His will.
Bill Bright
The late Dr. Bill Bright was Founder and President/Chairman Emeritus of Campus Crusade for Christ, an organization which began as a campus
ministry in 1951 and now has more than 27,000 full-time staff and up to 500,000 trained volunteer staff in 196 countries in areas representing 99.6 percent of the world’s population. In the past 50 years, Campus
Crusade for Christ has seen approximately 6 billion exposures to the gospel worldwide. The film, "JESUS," which Bright conceived and funded through Campus Crusade for Christ, is the most widely translated and
viewed film of any type ever produced. Since its use began in 1980, the film has been translated into 827 languages and viewed or listened to by over 5.5 billion people in 236 countries. Dr. Bright was also the author of more than fifty books. Dr. Bright recently co-founded Global Pastors Network to "Touch, Teach and Train" a group of 5 million new house churches around the world 24/7/365 at
http://www.globalpastorsnetwork.org
The following are some of the ways that the Lord lifts our heart, mind, soul, spirit and emotions when we are feeling discouraged, attacked or defeated:
1. RESCUER - There are many times when we will need to be rescued. No one is exempt from feeling or experiencing discouraging times. David wrote, "The Lord is my refuge and strength. A very present help in the time of trouble. Therefore, I will not fear, though the mountains give way and they fall in to the heart of the sea. There is a river that makes glad the city of our God." (Psa 46:1,2)
David knew that even though Absalom, his son, was chasing him, which caused great distress and shame, yet God’s presence provided comfort, relief and assurance of deliverance. The Lord’s presence enables us to realize that God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind (self-control). 2 Tim 1:7
Application: We need not fear the attacks of enemies because God surrounds and protects us with His mighty shield. His presence becomes our glory bringing His beauty, dignity and majesty to remake our sense of worth. When our heads our bowed and we are overflowing with sadness, fear and dismay, the Lord rushes to our rescue.
2. SHIELD - David praised God for being His protector from spiritual, social, verbal, emotional, political and physical danger. We need the Lord’s protection as the help of man is often worthless. Do not think you can lift yourself out of your ruts alone. Instead, we can worship and thank God for protecting and delivering us from all kinds of evil. Even Jesus prayed, "Lead us not in to temptation but deliver us from evil, for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever." (Matt 6:6-9) We can honor the Lord for providing us with the shield of faith so that we can quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. (Eph. 6:16-18)
3. GLORY - We can praise God that His very being consists of glory. David knew that the presence of God was so real that he could feel the filling up of his frazzled emotions with the bestowal of God’s glory, honor and dignity. It is a great assurance to know that the Lord bestows upon us His very glory during our most depressing times when it might appear we are up against an enemy that seems greater than our human ability to cope. Praise God that He endues us with His sense of honor, dignity and happiness in the midst of terrible adversity.
Illustrated: J. Peterson’s song, "Heaven came down and glory filled me soul is a demonstration of how the glory of God fills our vital need with His sense of holiness, splendor and majesty so that we do not have a want for anything greater.
Illustration: Alex Rodriguez may feel glorified for being given a $250 million contract to play baseball and now with the New York Yankees at the age of 28. Yet, that level of glory is paltry compared to the glory that fills the soul of the one who calls on the Lord for help, deliverance and sustaining grace and power and love.
4. REST and RELAXATION and RECUPERATION - God gave David rest, relief and relaxation. David wrote, "I laid me down and slept and awaked; for the Lord sustained me." (Psa 3:5) Praise God that He replenishes our soul, spirit, mind, body, emotions and motivations with His rest. So many people have a hard time restoring their batteries because they do not look to the Lord for rest. Many lack a sense of renewal, revival and revitalization because they are not asking the Lord to help them lay down and rest in Him.
Illustration: This great song of rest describes what David prayed, "Jesus I am resting, resting in the joy of what Thou art. I am finding out the greatness of your loving heart." Take a walk an sing the praise of the Lord and you will find that He will lift you up above the discouragements of life.
5. LIFTER - We can praise God that He lifts us above the circumstances, adversity and discouragements of the day. He has a way of taking us on to higher ground. He lovingly lifts us up so we can see Him. As we look in His face, we are comforted, encouraged and reassured by the fellowship of the Spirit, the consolation of His love and His affection and compassion. He uses all kinds of means to lift us up if we will trust, obey, love and worship Him with all our believing heart.
Illustration: The great song, "I am pressing on the upward way. New heights I am gaining every day. Still praying as I am onward bound. Lord, plant my feet on higher ground. Lord lift me up and let me stand, by faith on heaven’s table land. A higher plane than I have found. Lord plant my feet on higher ground."
Song: "Love lifted me. Love lifted me. When nothing else could help. Love lifted me."
Allow the Lord to lift you up above your sickness, sadness and distressful suffering. He will carry you on eagles wings if you will let Him.
Pray: "They who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They will run and not be weary. They will walk and not faint."
Promise: Fear not for I am with you. Be not dismayed for I am your God. I will help you. I will strengthen you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isa 41:10)
Song: Christ lifted me. Christ lifted me. When nothing else could help. Christ lifted me.
6. SUSTAINER - We can praise God that He provides us with what is necessary to keep us going when we think all of our energy is depleted. David wrote, "The Lord sustained me." Do not think you can sustain yourself neither can other people provide you with what is needed to finish the race. He provides you with the emotional, mental, physical and spiritual sustenance to complete the tasks He assigns.
Cry to the Lord with your voice. Furthermore, give others a chance to call to the Lord in prayer so that they will experience the full blessings of His sustaining grace, love, truth, hope and powerful uplifting promises.
I cried unto the Lord with my voice and He heard me out of His holy hill. The glory and the lifter of my head. He lifts us up so our mind, eyes and perspective can experience overcoming of all our problems.
1. Actualization
2. Adaptation
3. Adaptation w/His power for my weakness
4. Administration
5. Admiration
6. Affection
7. Affirmation
8. Alleviation of pain
9. Alterations
10. Amalgazition
11. Applications
12. Appropriation
13. Arbitration
14. Articulations
15. Association
16. Authorization
17. Calculation
18. Cataylization
19. Caution
20. Celebrations
21. Clarifications
22. Cognition
23. Collaboration w/other believers
24. Communication
25. Compensation w/joy
26. Completion
27. Concentration
28. Concentration
29. Configuration
30. Confirmation
31. Connections
32. Consecration w/yielding
33. Consideration
34. Consolation
35. Consultation
36. Consultation
37. Contextualization
38. Contribution
39. Conviction
40. Cooperation w/godly people
41. Coordination
42. Coordination
43. Coordination
44. Correction
45. Correction
46. Correlations
47. Dedication
48. Deliberation
49. Demonstration
50. Demotion
51. Deputation
52. Determination
53. Direction
54. Discretion
55. Edification
56. Education
57. Education
58. Elevation above the world, the flesh & the devil
59. Elucidation
60. Embarkation
61. Emotions
62. Enablization means
63. Energization
64. Erudition
65. Escalation
66. Evaluation
67. Evaluations
68. Evangelization
69. Excitation
70. Exhortations
71. Exoneration
72. Expectation
73. Explanation
74. Explanations
75. Exposition
76. Facilitation
77. Filtration
78. Fixation
79. Foundation
80. Glorification hope
81. Harmonization
82. Harmonization
He Gives Sufficient Grace by means of the Word & Spirit:
83. Humiliation
84. Identification w/Christ
85. Illuminations
86. Illustrations
87. Impartation of truth-love
88. Improvisations
89. Inauguration
90. Innovations
91. Inspiration
92. Instruction
93. Intention
94. Interpretations
95. Intervention
96. Intrepidation
97. Intuition
98. Irritations
99. Jubilation
100. Justification
101. Liberation
102. Limitation
103. Magnification
104. Maturation
105. Maximization of gifts, abilities and resources
106. Mediation
107. Memorization
108. Mobilization of people
109. Motivation
110. Multiplication
111. Navigation
112. Objections
113. Observations
114. Obsession
115. Oppositions
116. Optimization
117. Orchestration
118. Organization
119. Perception
120. Perfection
121. Permutations
122. Persecution
123. Personalization of love
124. Pre-occupation
125. Presentation abilities
126. Preservation
127. Prevention
128. Prioritization
129. Proclamation
130. Profusions
131. Progression
132. Promotion
133. Promulgation
134. Promulgation
135. Propitiation
136. Protection
137. Purification
138. Realization of blessings
139. Reception
140. Recognition
141. Recognization
142. Recollection
143. Reconciliation
144. Reflection
145. Reformation
146. Rehabilitation
147. Reinvigoration
148. Rejection
149. Relations
150. Relaxation
151. Relegation
152. Remediation
153. Remuneration
154. Renovations
155. Renovation w/Christ likeness
156. Renunciation of evil, sin & flesh
157. Reproduction
158. Repudiation
159. Reservations
160. Resignations
161. Resolution
162. Resolution of conflict
163. Restoration w/Word-Spirit
164. Resuscitation
165. Revelation
166. Salvation-deliverance
167. Sanctification
168. Satisfaction
169. Solutions
170. Stimulation
171. Supplication
172. Transformation
173. Tribulations
174. Unification
175. Validation
176. Vindication
177. Visualization
