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Psalm 3:5
I laid myself down and slept. I awakened, for the LORD sustains me.
3But you, LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.
4I cry to the LORD with my voice, and he answers me out of his holy hill. Selah.
5I laid myself down and slept. I awakened, for the LORD sustains me.
6I will not be afraid of tens of thousands of people who have set themselves against me on every side.
7Arise, LORD! Save me, my God! For you have struck all of my enemies on the cheek bone. You have broken the teeth of the wicked.
Notice
Sleep leaves David unable to keep watch, yet he describes waking amid danger with a clear sense that his life rests in YHWH’s care.
Questions to write on. Each one opens a new entry with this verse already attached.
What feels hard to leave unguarded when you lie down to sleep?
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Where else Scripture says this
11 passages readers most often link with this verse, and the thread each one shares with it.
This verse's connections, by chapterThe Bible's strongest chapter linksHover or tap a book to trace it
Psalm 4:8In peace I will both lay myself down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me live in safety.Both psalms connect lying down and sleeping with the LORD's care, naming him as the source of safety and sustaining help.
Proverbs 3:24When you lie down, you will not be afraid. Yes, you will lie down, and your sleep will be sweet.Both passages describe lying down and sleeping amid confidence, with Proverbs stressing freedom from fear and Psalm 3 naming the LORD's care.
Leviticus 26:6“‘I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and no one will make you afraid. I will remove evil animals out of the land, neither shall the sword …Both passages connect lying down with God's protection, though Leviticus speaks of peace across the land and Psalm 3 recounts one person's sleep.
Isaiah 26:3You will keep whoever’s mind is steadfast in perfect peace, because he trusts in you.Both texts locate security in God's care; Psalm 3 speaks of waking, while Isaiah speaks of peace.
Psalm 127:2It is vain for you to rise up early, to stay up late, eating the bread of toil, for he gives sleep to his loved ones.Both psalms connect sleep with God's care, while Psalm 127 also names the strain of rising early and staying up late.
Job 11:18–19You will be secure, because there is hope. Yes, you will search, and will take your rest in safety.Psalm 3 recounts sleep under God's care; Job's friend speaks of hoped-for rest in safety.
Psalm 139:18If I would count them, they are more in number than the sand. When I wake up, I am still with you.Both psalms mark waking as a moment of dependence on God, through his sustaining care or his continued presence.
Proverbs 18:10The LORD’s name is a strong tower: the righteous run to him, and are safe.Both passages credit the LORD with protection: Psalm 3 through sustaining a sleeper, Proverbs through the image of a strong tower.
Proverbs 14:26In the fear of the LORD is a secure fortress, and he will be a refuge for his children.Both passages describe security rooted in the LORD, using the language of sustaining care in Psalm 3 and refuge in Proverbs.
Psalm 66:9who preserves our life among the living, and doesn’t allow our feet to be moved.Both psalms credit God with preserving life, whether through waking from sleep or remaining among the living.
1 Kings 14:20The days which Jeroboam reigned were twenty two years; then he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his place.The shared word is sleep, but Kings uses it for Jeroboam's death, while David describes sleep followed by waking.
Where this verse fits
Anxiety or panic. fear for the future. gratitude.
One step
Something small to carry out of this verse
Encouragement
The enemies are still there when David wakes. Yet he has slept and risen, and he names the reason: YHWH sustains him.
Now put it in your words.
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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).