Big Buts of the Bible

There are some portions of Scripture that become part of you almost by accident.

For me, Psalm 3 is one of them.

Back in 1987—during my teenage, wannabe Christian rock star days (yes, there really was a band, and yes, there really was big hair)—our group, Staircase, played a song based almost word-for-word on Psalm 3 in the old King James version. We performed it so often that I eventually memorized the opening verses without ever setting out to do so.Nearly forty years later, they still come back to me.

Lord, how are they increased that trouble me!
Many are they that rise up against me.
Many are they which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God.
But Thou, O Lord, art a shield for me;
my glory, and the lifter of mine head.

There’s the pivot. One of the most beautiful buts in all of Scripture. If you know the backstory, the words become even more remarkable.

David isn’t writing from a palace. He’s running for his life.

His own son, Absalom, has led a rebellion against him. Friends have abandoned him. His army has turned. He’s sleeping in caves instead of royal chambers. To make matters worse, people are whispering that even God has abandoned him.

Can you imagine hearing that while you’re already struggling? “Even God isn’t going to help you.”

David hears every word. He doesn’t deny the pain. He doesn’t pretend the danger isn’t real.

But then… he lifts his eyes.

“But Thou, O Lord…”

Everything changes. Not because David’s circumstances change. Because David’s focus changes.

I love that little word tucked into Psalm 3 three different times: Selah.

No one knows its precise meaning, but most scholars believe it marked a pause in the music—a moment to stop, reflect, and let the truth sink in.

Charles Spurgeon imagined it this way: “Rest here awhile… there is nobler matter to come.”

I love that. Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is pause long enough to remember who God is.

David does exactly that. He calls God three things.

My shield. The battle is real. But so is God’s protection.

My glory. David has lost his throne. His reputation has been dragged through the mud. Yet his identity is no longer rooted in a crown. It is rooted in God.

The lifter of my head. That’s my favorite. Discouragement has a way of making us stare at the ground. 

Shame does that.

Grief does that.

Fear does that.

God gently places His hand beneath our chin and says, “Look up.”

By the time David reaches the next verses, something extraordinary has happened. He says,

I lay down and slept; I woke again, because the Lord sustained me.

Think about that. A man surrounded by enemies… slept.

Not because the danger disappeared. Because God didn’t.

That’s the fresh glimpse I need this Sunday. The God behind this but is not merely the God who changes circumstances. He is the God who changes hearts in the middle of circumstances.

He is the shield.

He is the glory.

He is the lifter of bowed heads.

And sometimes that is miracle enough.

Wonder & Awe? The greatest security a believer possesses isn’t the absence of enemies. It’s the presence of God.

So perhaps the next time life feels overwhelming… Pause. Selah. Then lift your eyes.Because the God behind this but is still lifting heads today.