The Savior lifts us up to keep moving forward with Him.
David was a man of major contrasts. On the one hand, scripture calls him a man after God’s own heart. On the other, he made some mind-boggling choices.
One of those choices was to have sex with another man’s wife and then have her husband killed. He didn’t get away it. God sent Nathan to tell him the consequences of this choice – one of his own son’s would publicly sleep with his wives.
This happened. Absalom, third in line to the throne, rebelled against David and became the instrument of David’s punishment while David ran for his life.
David writes about this in Psalm 3. Many at the time thought Absalom would prevail against his dad. Yet, David writes that his trust was in the LORD who would deliver him.
This deliverance comes with a very interesting phrase in 3:3, “lift up my head.” Lift means to take a face that is looking down by the chin and lift it up so one could look into the eyes of the one lifting it. In David’s case, his face was looking down due to his shame induced choice but was lifted up by the LORD.
In our process to become like Jesus, we will make our fair share of choices that we all regret. Yet, Jesus is LORD. And through His death on the cross, He lifts up our chin so we can look Him in the eye again.
Don’t waste time on shame!! It doesn’t any good. It only keeps you looking down at the very things that brought you shame in the first place.
So, put down your “beat-me” stick. Let shame move you to ask for Jesus’ forgiveness, which came at the cross. Jesus will then lift up your chin, look you square in the eyes and say, “I love you. I’ve got it covered. Now, get up and walk with Me again.”
Jesus is your head lifter. Let Him like He did David.