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Psalm 3:4 says, "I cried aloud to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy hill." This verse is a powerful reminder of how David found comfort in God, even in his darkest moments. But what was David thinking about when he cried out to God? What gave him the confidence to declare that God was the lifter of his head--the one who took pride in him? This question is especially relevant given that David's own sinful actions got him into this pickle in the first place--lust, adultery, murder, and more on his part were coming to roost. Now, he is on the run from his own son. So, how could he be so confident that God answers his prayers?

To understand David’s confidence, we need to turn back to Genesis 15, one of the most profound moments in the entire Bible. In Genesis 15, Abram (later Abraham) was gripped by fear. God spoke to him, saying, "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great" (1). (In case you were wondering, there is a good chance David was reflecting on these words as he penned Psalm 3.)

But Abram, like many of us, needed more. He asked, "How can I know?" How can I know that you will bless me? How can I know that you will keep your promises? What followed was extraordinary. God told Abram to take animals, cut them in half, and arrange them opposite each other. In ancient times, this was how people made binding covenants. They would walk between the pieces of the animals, symbolically saying, "If I fail to keep my promise, may I be like these animals—cut in pieces."

But that night, something astonishing happened. Abram didn’t walk through the pieces. Instead, a smoking firepot and a blazing torch—symbols of God’s presence—passed through the pieces. God was saying, "If I fail to keep my promise, may I be cut off. And if you fail, Abram, I will take the penalty for you."

David, who knew this story well, meditated on it as he cried out to God. He understood that God is a covenant-keeping God—a God who bears the cost of our failures. This gave David the assurance to say, "You are my shield and the lifter of my head." (Breaking someone's teeth--which David references in verse 7--was another ancient punishment for breaking a covenant. Thus, covenantal language dots this psalm.)

Yet, what David only glimpsed, we see fully in Jesus Christ. Centuries later, darkness fell again—not over a covenant ceremony but over Calvary. Jesus, God’s own Son, was "cut off from the land of the living" (Isaiah 53:8). On the cross, He bore the curse of our broken promises. He fulfilled the covenant at the ultimate cost, demonstrating in the most striking of moments that God loves us, values us, and will never abandon us.

To the degree that this truth becomes the foundation of our lives, fear begins to lose its grip. When your significance rests in the love and promises of God rather than your own strength or circumstances, you, like David, may be able to say with confidence, "You are my shield, my glory, and the lifter of my head."

Let this truth sink in deeply. God’s love for you is not vague or uncertain—it’s a covenant sealed by the sacrifice of His Son. Whatever fears you face, remember: He has answered you from His holy hill.