by leaps and bounds

But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me, my glory, and the lifter up of mine head (Psalm 3:3).

There are plenty of put-downs to go around in the somewhat sarcastic, negative society in which we live. There certainly are numerous people who are eager to put someone else down over a variety of things. Following are just samples:

“You are not intelligent enough.”
“You are not good looking enough.”
“You come from the wrong place and/or the wrong family.” “You simply are not good enough.”

Sadly, we sometimes place God in the same basket with everyone else. Our thinking is that He is ready to put us down- even come down hard on us because of our imperfections. We really need to remember- God is not people.

Of course, we should hold God in the highest of reverence. Humility toward Him is necessary, but it is also rewarded. James 4:10 says, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” His desire is to lift us up- not put us down.

When people- even the most precious people to us- forsake us, God is there to lift us up. Psalm 27:10 verifies this:

When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.

God even lifts us above those who dislike us. In other words, He does not side with our enemies. Psalm 18:48 says, “He delivers me from my enemies, You also lift me up above those who rise against me; You have delivered me from the violent man.”

The bottom line is – we don’t have to live life with our heads down. God is not out to get us. He doesn’t want to put us down. Let us remember the words of Psalm 3:3: “You are the lifter up of my head.”

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Dave Snyder is an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God – Cleveland, Tennessee. Before entering the ministry on a full-time basis, he was a school teacher. He also coached middle school basketball for eight years.

Dave and his wife, Sara, have two children  — Craig and Karen. They also have one ten year old granddaughter  — Breanna. 

Dave and Sara pastored in West Virginia for thirty-six years. Sara is now retired from the banking industry, and Dave is retired from pastoring. However, Dave currently serves as prison Chaplain for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 

Writing essays, articles, and devotionals is a real passion for Dave. He also enjoys playing musical instruments and singing.