I’m meditating on perhaps a new favorite verb in scripture: lifts. God lifts you. He’s the lifter of your head.
My journey into understanding this little Hebrew verb began with Psalm 3:3 where we read of David’s troubling cry to the Lord as he flees from his son Absalom. I learn, first of all, that many refer to Psalm 3 as a “Morning Hymn.” How wonderful to wake up to this psalm as a morning prayer! And here I sit in the morning. Here I am. And there you are. Good morning to us both.
David writes: “But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory and the lifter of my head.” Other translations say “the One who lifts my head.”
It’s a simple verb, uncomplicated and straightforward. It means “to lift up,” but when when coupled with “my head,” I learn that the action of God here means we are lifted out of sorrow, of difficulty, of shame, and of dishonor. Think about what weighs on you to force your head down into defeat. Think about what would cause you to lower your head in shame. Think about areas of your life where you feel dishonored or beaten down.
We hang our head for so many reasons, yet God is the lifter of our head. He lifts our head to see Him, to see new, beautiful things. He lifts our head to joy and peace. He lifts our head to honor, to abundance, to hope.
Isn’t it so beautiful to think of God lifting our head today? I picture a Father kneeling down to a despondent, crying child. I picture His finger tilting that head up to look at Him. Imagine the love and the joy. Imagine the comfort and the healing. Imagine the forgiveness.