Can you remember a time when things seemed hopeless? Maybe it was a bad relationship, a health issue, or financial distress that hit hard and you felt like you were at your whit’s end. At times like that you can feel overwhelmed by the pressure and be tempted to think that there is no hope for fixing things. When you feel like that, it may be helpful to remember that you are not the only one who has ever gone through such troubles. The Bible tells us about many people who were distressed by their experiences. One of these troubled people was a man named David. What he experienced was more than most people would be able to handle. Let’s consider his situation and find how he was able to get through it.
- What does it say? (Psalm 3)
The psalm’s title says that this psalm was written by David when he fled from his son Absalom. The conflict between David and Absalom is covered in 2 Samuel 15-18.
David cried out to the Lord because there was an increasing number of people troubling him and rising up against him. Many of them said that God was no longer helping him. But David saw the Lord as his shield, glory, and the One who lifted up his head. When he cried to the Lord, God heard him from His holy hill. David lay down to sleep and awakened because the Lord had sustained him. He was not afraid even if ten thousands of people deployed against him. Yet, he asked God to arise to save him. God had struck all his enemies and broken the teeth of the ungodly. From all this, David noted that salvation was from the Lord and His blessings were upon His people. - What does it mean?
The psalm was written when it seemed that God was no longer helping David (Psalm 3:1-2).
King David was a man after God’s own heart. We can learn a lot from him. However, he was not always the wisest king. He married multiple women, committed adultery with another man’s wife, had her husband murdered, and eventually fathered at least 21 children.1 When the children were grown, something terrible happened. His eldest son, Amnon, raped his half-sister, Tamar. In revenge, her brother, Absalom, had Amnon murdered. Because of this, David banished Absalom for a while but allowed him to return years later. You can imagine what the people thought of their king. Was this king still a godly man? And more importantly was God even on his side anymore? During those troubling times, Absalom formulated a plot to kill his father and take the throne. When David realized how thick the conspiracy had grown, he fled the royal city with his family and friends.
You can understand now why David said what he did in this psalm. He cried out to the Lord about the number of people who were troubling him. So many had sided with Absalom in the revolt. And this led David to cry out to God. But there was something else on his mind. Not only were there a lot of people rising against him, there were also rumors being circulated that God was not going to help him. If you know anything about David, you know that God had helped him on multiple occasions. The Lord has helped him kill a lion and a bear when he was a shepherd. The Lord had enabled him to defeat the giant Goliath. The Lord had enabled him to escape King Saul’s constant death threats. The Lord had enabled him to defeat the Amalekites who had ransacked his city and kidnapped his family. To hear someone say that the Lord would not help him was a terrifying statement. But was it true?
The psalm was written when David was trusting God (Psalm 3:3-6).
Despite all of the sins he had committed, David still had a right relationship with God. He wasn’t a perfect person by any means and he recognized this. Read Psalm 51 to see his change of heart after he committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband killed. God had brought him to repentance. He acknowledged his sin against God and asked God to cleanse him of them. This shows that David wasn’t simply concerned about avoiding the consequences. He actually had a change of heart about what he had done and wanted to make things right with God.
All of that points us back to what David wrote in verses 3-6. While many thought that the Lord would not help him anymore, he was still confident in God’s help. He trusted that God would be a shield for him, that God was “the source of my glory”2, and that God always lifted up his head when he was feeling down.3 So, David cried out to the Lord and believed that God heard him. As a result, he was able to sleep at night trusting in the Lord to take care of him. Even if ten thousand people came against him, he trusted that the Lord would protect him.
The psalm was written when David saw God helping him (Psalm 3:7-8).
It was a dire situation. Absalom was gathering his army to attack David. His plan was to kill David and his soldiers and then rule in his father’s place. If this was happening to you, what would you do? The fact that he was trusting God did not diminish the seriousness of the situation. David cried out to God for help. “Arise, Lord, and save me! You are my God!” This shows both his trust in the Lord and his fear of what could happen.
Thankfully, the Lord chose to rescue David from Absalom and his army. In 2 Samuel 18, you can read the details of what happened. David divided his army into three groups and placed a leader over each. They were deployed against the rebels and were able to overcome them that day. This is why David ended the psalm as he did. He pictured God striking his enemies on the cheek and breaking their teeth. In other words, the rebels were completely decimated. The Bible says that 20,000 rebels were killed during the battle. As a result, David stated two facts. First, he said that salvation was to be attributed to the Lord. It wasn’t his ability that had saved them from the rebellion; it was God’s enablement. Second, he said that blessing had come to God’s people. This was true.
Despite the fact that people thought God would not help David, He did.
Despite the fact that so many were against him, he trusted in the Lord.
Despite the odds against him, God helped David. - How does it apply?
God can help you despite your sinful past.
At the beginning of the psalm, David mentioned what others had been saying about him. They believed that he was too far gone and that God would not help him. The fact that Absalom had gathered a large rebellion, that David had fled the city, and that Absalom had taken over Jerusalem indicated to them that David’s reign as king was over at least temporarily. It seemed apparent that God was no longer helping him. Some of the people were aware of his sins of adultery and murder. Others were aware of his dysfunctional family. These things were true. But David’s past was not too much for God to overcome. David repented of his sin and found God’s forgiveness.
You may look back on your past and think that God would never help someone like you. You remember your own sins and wonder how God could love a sinner like you. It’s a good question and one that all of us should consider. Why would God love any of us knowing everything that we have done? I don’t know why except that He is good, gracious, and merciful. However, He is also holy and just meaning that He is perfectly without sin and must judge sinners for their sins against Him. The ultimate judgment will be eternal punishment in the lake of fire. How could any of us stand before God at the judgment and say that we deserve to be saved from the punishment we have earned?
God who is holy and just must judge our sins. But He is also loving and merciful. That is where Jesus comes in. God the Father sent His only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins. He lived a perfect live and died in our place. Then God accepted His payment for our sins and offers to forgive us because of what Jesus did. That is how David could be forgiven by God. That is how you can be forgiven by God. God wants to help you, but He calls on you to repent of your sin and to believe in Jesus and what He did for you.
God wants you to trust Him.
When David faced the rebellion of Absalom, he was in a terrible situation. His own son wanted to kill him. Thousands of his people wanted him dead and replaced by Absalom. With such a terrible situation, it is almost odd to hear that David was able to sleep while people were plotting his death. But he did. He could sleep because he was trusting God to take care of him. Yes, he cried out to God when all of this happened. Yes, he asked God to save him from the situation. But he trusted in God and found the peace that passes all understanding.
In the New Testament, the Bible teaches us how we can find that peace. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6-7). Those who have believed in Jesus have problems just like others. But they have peace that the world cannot offer. When you are faced with troubling events in your life, don’t focus on your anxieties. Focus on the Lord. As you do, He will give you the peace that is beyond comprehension through Jesus.
God should be thanked for what He has done.
At the end of the psalm, David pointed out who had rescued him from his situation. He said that “salvation belongs to the Lord.” This was his way of summarizing all that God had done for him. His enemies thought they were going to have an easy victory because so many were on their side. But God was not limited by their numbers. He saved David and crushed the rebellion. David attributed this victory to the Lord.
As you consider your own troubles, you may be tempted to cry out to the Lord. As things become hopeless, your prayers may rise up to God as you ask Him to intervene. God is able to help. But remember one thing. When God intervenes on your behalf and things have been resolved, will you be willing to thank God for what He has done? If you are a Christian, thank God for what He has done in your life. He has saved you from Hell. He has forgiven you for all of your sins. And He has taken care of you throughout your life. Don’t forget to thank Him.
Conclusion
David’s experience shows us that we are not alone in our troubles. There have been and still are many others who have experienced troubles that were more than they could handle. Today, we have found the solution. Hope for our troubles is ultimately found in a trusting relationship with God through Jesus. Many have turned to Him in their distress and found Him to be faithful. As you consider your own anxieties, will you stumble along and try to fix them yourself. Or will you turn to the One who can truly bring you hope?
Bibliography
“How many children did King David have?” as viewed at https://printer.gotquestions.net/GeneratePF?articleId=45162 on 3/14/2026.
Kidner, Derek, Psalms 1-72, Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1973.
Leupold, H. C., Exposition of the Psalms, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1977, orig. 1969.
Ross, Allen P., “Psalms” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary Old Testament, USA: SP Publications, 1989.
Footnotes