“1. LORD, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me. 2. Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah. 3. But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head. 4. I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah. 5. I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me. 6. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about. 7. Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly. 8. Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.”
Around the end of October, I had the opportunity to slip into a new property that I had never deer hunted before. The neighbor had standing corn on the backside of this property with a highway of deer activity coming into the woods. The wind was out of the southwest that night and my son and I slipped across the backside of the woods with hopes to set up on a hot trail coming from the corn field. We found a good thicket that would break us up a little and brushed in for the night! It was a slow night until the last 15 minutes of shooting light. I began to hear the corn stalks moving when I quietly said to Ryan, “that’s a deer”. We heard him for a few minutes before I heard Ryan say, “there he is”. I was hoping Ryan would get a shot, but he was on the edge of his comfortable shooting distance and circling down wind of where we were sitting. We had about 10 minutes of shooting light left, but it took a minute to determine if he was one I would want to shoot. I had a 30-yard clearing I had been observing most of the night and he was about to step into it! He appeared to be a mature body with a nice set of antlers on his head. It happened so quick, but before he got to my opening I decided he was one worth shooting.
I drew my bow just before he stepped into the clearing and sure enough he stopped right in my opening. I typically make better decisions, but this time I did not process the fact that he was quartering to me a little and I need to set my pin behind his front shoulder. The red lighted nock was very bright as the arrow hit very close to where I set my pin! He took a step or two and jumped the fence right back onto the neighboring property. He ran out 50 to 60 yards and I thought he started to wobble. I could tell I had very little penetration and Ryan later said the deer just stopped and looked at the arrow. The deer then ran further away jumping another fence and crossing a cut bean field.
Talk about the pit in your stomach. These are the stories you never like to talk about! Failure! We got permission from the neighbor to track the deer and then joined up with my wife and daughter as deer tracking is a fun family night (except this one). We found very little blood, but Taylor became very excited when she saw a red dot laying on the edge of the corn field. After picking up the nock she became more excited when she found the arrow a few more yards ahead. The deer ended up crossing onto the next neighbor which is a property I have permission to hunt. At this point, the deer has gone 300-400 yards and there was very little penetration. With not much hope, I returned the next morning and found a few more drops of blood, but no filled buck tag.
I’ve never liked failure! I’ve never liked dealing with the consequences of bad decisions either. What do you do in these types of situations? “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105) You just have to get up, keep moving forward, and try not to make the same mistake twice. I got home that night very discouraged, but I know God always has something to say regardless of what situation we may be facing. I found myself in Psalm 3 that night. Verse 3 really jumped off the page as I read, “But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.” Psalm 3 has a title of, “A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.” David had made some bad decisions in his past. Adultery, murder, and now he is running for his life. God had already forgiven him, but now he is experiencing the consequences for his bad choices. His son Absalom draws a good part of the nation to his leadership over the course of many years. Now he is trying to kill his own father. Though David is discouraged and running, he knew that God was faithful. Under direct inspiration of the Holy Ghost, David pens down this great Psalm! “…O LORD…my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.” Absalom dies on the battlefield and David is restored back to be the King. God was faithful in David’s life, but He will also be faithful in your life!
What is weighing on you today? First, go to the Word of God! Many believers fail in this area. God has a passage of scripture that will help you in your trials, failures, and discouragements, but you must open up the Word and read it. Second, believe what you read! “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.” (Proverbs 30:5) God knows you better than you know you. Could it be He is allowing things in your life so you will turn to Him with all your heart? Notice again in Psalm 3:3 “…my glory…” David said his glory was in God, not in himself. God wants to be glorified in your circumstances! Most believers fail because they are searching for their own glory! “Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus…” (Ephesians 3:21) “To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” (I Peter 5:11) “Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgement, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.” (Jeremiah 9:23-24) God loves you today friend! The Lord will lift you up!
Memory Verse
Psalm 3:3-4
“But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head. I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.”
