Day 53: Jesus, You Lift Up My Head

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you were misjudged and misunderstood? How can you smile in those dark days? Find comfort, as David did, in the Lord Himself. He is the One who lifts up your head. David found himself in the midst of one of life’s low points when his son, Absalom, literally tried to steal his own father’s kingdom away from him. Absalom deceptively stood at the city’s gates and attempted to win the favor of the people, stealing their hearts one by one away from loyalty to his father, the king. But Absalom was like a fish trying to swim upstream, fighting an overwhelming power greater than himself—the power of Almighty God. David relied on God’s power and presence in the midst of his adversity. “But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head” (Psalm 3:3).

Something we must never forget when everything seems to come against us is the favor of our Lord. Paul knew this bright hope when he said, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). And Paul, of course, experienced the strength of Christ in his own dark days. He said, “At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it” (2 Timothy 4:16-17).

And so, in those situations, where you might sink in despair, you can still smile for He has taken His hand and turned your face toward His. Look into His face, and find comfort in His loving presence and gracious favor.

The Lord took me to Psalm 3 today and prompted these thoughts through one of my favorite authors, John Henry Jowett. In Jowett’s book, Thirsting For The Springs, he says: “The failures of men, the many obstacles they have to encounter, and especially the malice and contempt of their fellows, might humiliate them, and cause them to hang their heads in the confusion of face. The man whose external life passes from defeat to defeat, and who never sits down at the festival of success, is apt to acquire the attitude of severe depression. But Thou, O Lord, art the lifter up of mine head. The Lord’s companionship is my pride and my boast. The sublimity of man’s surroundings often gives a loftiness to his bearing. A man who companions much with kings may unconsciously gain the kingly carriage. How then, must it be with men who companion with the Almighty, and who find in Him their shield and their glory? It is a simple fact, that the intimate companions of the Lord are characterized by a certain, stately dignity, which is never so manifest as when they are in the minority, and are compelled to stand alone. God is the lifter up of their head. Is it any wonder that these wealthy conceptions of God should be accompanied by glad and ceaseless communion? Men were unfriendly; circumstances were unsympathetic; this man cried unto the Lord, and He heard him. There was a constant festival of fellowship, a fruitful responsiveness between man and his God.

Have you learned this great secret? Have you run into the presence of your Lord and become a “companion with the Almighty”, thus discovering Him as your shield and your glory? David enjoyed intimacy with God and we can also know Him in depth and detail, experiencing the intricacies and delights of His Person, His works and His words. Draw near in your desperate hours, and allow Him to lift your head. And then, dear friend, no matter what happens, hold your head high in the light of your Lord’s love for you (Romans 5:11 Phillips Translation).

My Response: Lord Jesus, thank You for always lifting my head, and surrounding me with Your everlasting love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.