The Lifter of My Head

Have you ever felt so ashamed you couldn’t look anyone in the eye? Have you ever been so beaten down or so lost that you wondered if God even noticed you anymore? I want to talk to you about something most of us overlook—six words from Psalm 23:5: “Thou anointest my head with oil.” There’s healing and hope packed into that little phrase for anyone who’s ever felt worthless, wounded, or forgotten.

David wasn’t writing from a palace when he put those words down. He was hiding in a cave, hunted by his own son, feeling betrayed, and probably wondering if he had anything left to hope for. Yet right there, at rock bottom, he found comfort—not by staring at his mess, but by turning his eyes to the Lord.

What does it mean for God to anoint your head with oil? It means He sees where you’re hurting and comes close. Just like a shepherd puts oil on a sheep’s wounds, God is right there, ready to heal every place you’re broken—your heart, your mind, your spirit.

It also means you haven’t lost your worth. No matter what you’ve done or how low you’ve sunk, God’s anointing marks you as His own. He lifts your head when shame and guilt have you looking down. He gently raises your face and meets your eyes, not with condemnation, but with love.

And this anointing brings something else—the oil of joy. God doesn’t wait until your circumstances change to restore your hope. He brings joy right there in the middle of the darkest cave when all you see is trouble. He can turn your mourning into dancing, your shame into praise.

If you’re feeling lost or ashamed today, I want you to know that God is ready to lift your head. Through Jesus, you can look your Creator in the face, fully known and fully loved. You are never alone, not even in your deepest pit.

I invite you to listen. Maybe God will speak to you like He spoke to David. Perhaps you’ll find your head lifting, just a little, as you remember who you are in Him.

If He’s ever lifted your head—if He’s brought you out of shame or put joy back in your heart—I’d love to hear your story. Let’s walk this road together.

Preached at Shady Grove Baptist Church, Marietta, Georgia, June 29, 2025.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Introducing Psalm 23:5
• 5:32 God Anoints to Heal Our Wounds
• 10:42 Remembering Who You Are
• 16:02 From Mourning to Joy
• 18:48 The Lifter of Your Head
• 27:25 Face to Face With God

Transcript

Austin Gardner: 0:00

Take your Bibles, if you would, and turn with me to Psalm chapter 23. I have enjoyed so richly learning all the beautiful things that God says to us through this psalm inspired by the Holy Spirit of God through David to us. Now I'm going to get to one of my favorite parts, probably my favorite part of the psalm today, but I want you to remember where David is. He is hiding. His son is leading his own army to kill him. His world is at end. He knows he's messed up. He knows that he's not who he ought to be. He knows he's a failure. He knows his name on social media. Right now he is being canceled and trashed by everybody, and so David's there in the cave. But David knows what to do, which is something we fail to know so many times. David says I know where to go, I don't need to go about me. I don't need to think about me. I need to think about who my shepherd is. And he starts off and says the Lord is my shepherd. That's what I'm going to focus on. I'm going to focus on my relationship with God. That's what's going to take care of me. And he begins to work his way through the psalm, and there's.

Austin Gardner: 1:12

Every one of these little phrases that we've been looking at for so long have so much truth in them. But how about this one? I think most of us didn't notice it. I know I didn't pay attention to it all my life. It says in Psalm 23, 5. Mark it with me. Psalm 23, 5. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine, enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil. Thou anointest my head with oil. My cup runs over.

Austin Gardner: 1:42

We're going to ask the Lord to help us understand some truths about the fact that God anointed David's head with oil. What was he meaning? What's it mean for you in your life right now? Because you also face troubles. You have heartaches. You may not be hiding in a cave from an enemy, but life doesn't always go the way you want it to. It doesn't go the way you expected it to. But the life doesn't always go the way you want it to. It doesn't go the way you expected it to, and it might be financial problems, or it could be family problems, or it could be health issues. It could be a whole slew of things that are coming against you. But you can know this today he anoints your head with oil. Let's bow our heads for a word of prayer and ask him to work in our lives. God, I love you and I thank you for being our shepherd. I thank you that you own us and you take care of us and we belong to you and you have done everything for us and you are the very center of this psalm. The psalm rotates around you and who you are, you and what you do, not who David is, not, who I am, not what I do, but how I am blessed by you and I pray God today you would bless your people and help them to know you. In Jesus' name. Amen, thou anointest my head with oil. What does it mean to be anointed with oil? What's he mean? Well, the first thing whenever you read about being anointed with oil, we're talking about a shepherd. We're talking about a sheep here. So that's what the whole story revolves around a shepherd and a sheep.

Austin Gardner: 3:16

Now, how many of y'all grew up on a farm hold your hand up grew up on a farm out in the country? Anybody I'm the only one, me and Hayward Okay, two or three of us. We kind of grew up on a farm. How many of you ever had that blue ointment? You put on some animal that was wounded. Look at there, you know what I'm talking about. You put that blue ointment on them. You anointed that animal. It had a wound and you had medicine and you put the medicine on it. How many of you ever put something on the animals to keep flies away? You ever do that. Yeah, you put stuff on Okay, all you city people. You put flea and tick powder and you put flea collars on your dogs. All right, it all works out the same way.

Austin Gardner: 3:55

And so David says you know what? God, here I am hiding in a cave and my life has come to an end. But I know you heal me, I know you meet me where I'm hurting. I know that you care about me. He sees that his shepherd is there to heal him. He sees that his and, by the way, you could have emotional wounds or spiritual wounds or physical wounds, it doesn't matter what's happened. There's hope because our shepherd anoints us with oil. He's there to meet our need. He won't let you down. He's healing you right now. Whatever the sheep has happened to him, wherever he's wounded, they put oil on it. They're trying to take care of him. So that you know that this is biblical and not just farmer.

Austin Gardner: 4:44

How many of you remember the story of the Good Samaritan? If you remember the story of the Good Samaritan, say amen. What does he do when he finds the guy that's been beat up? If you look in Luke 10, verse 34, he pours in oil and wine. He's anointing him with oil and wine. Guess what happens? Whenever you're hurting, the Lord anoints you with oil.

Austin Gardner: 5:13

Now, what did he tell the church to do? What did he tell the church to do In Mark, chapter 6 and verse 13, he sends them out to preach the 70, and he said he anointed with oil those that were sick and healed them. So when, whenever, whenever you're talking about, he anoints us with all, guess what he told the church in james, chapter 5, verse 14. He said you anoint the sick with oil and pray for them. Now you listen to me. What I want you to really hear me where are you hurting what? What's hurting on you? Where's the sore?

Austin Gardner: 5:46

Whereas, if you sat down with your shepherd, if you sat down with your spiritual doctor, if you sat down with the Lord Jesus, would you say it's hurting right here. Would you say my heart's hurting my grandson one time, when he was I don't know, he was maybe five, six, I'm not sure how old. He was four, five, six. We were at my mother-in-law's house and he was running and playing and everybody was working and I snapped at him and I said sit down or sit still or go outside. You need to calm down. And he got quiet. Grandmama came through the room and he said grandmama, granddaddy, hurt me. And uh, grandmama said where do you hurt? You said you hurt me in my heart and maybe you're hurting in your heart right now, but he's here to heal you, he's here to help you, he's your shepherd.

Austin Gardner: 6:42

Dav, I'm hurting, I'll just be honest with you. My son turned on me. That hurts, I'll be honest with you. My best friend just abandoned me. I'm hurting, I'll be honest with you. He put my wives up on top of the palace and he did what a husband does. I'm hurt and the Lord says I'm here.

Austin Gardner: 7:03

David said God, I know I'm hurting, I know my life's falling apart, I know my life's in a shambles. But God, you're there, you're meeting my need Now. If you're not sure you're saved, if you don't know that you go to heaven and you don't have that relationship with the shepherd, today's the day you get saved. But if you are saved, I want you to trust the shepherd. I want you to trust that he loves you and he's helping you and he's going to heal you. Next thing, I want you to say that it does anointing with oil reminds you of who you are.

Austin Gardner: 7:38

Now let's remember who David is. Well, right now, david's beaten defeated. He used to be up here, and right now, david's beaten defeated. He used to be up here and right now he's in the pits. His whole life has fallen apart and in those moments, everything in you screams you're a loser. You're a loser. You have messed up. You are too far gone. Nobody cares about you. Everybody wants you dead. Your life is over. He's hiding in a cave. He's afraid. You know what happens is you get in trouble and you forget who you are. You forget who you are. All the trash from your past comes flooding in. It's like a torrential rainfall of. I blew it in this. I did this wrong, I messed up here, and it's because right now you're so discouraged and you're forgetting who you are.

Austin Gardner: 8:40

Being anointed means what they did when. That's what they did when they anointed a king, when they anointed a priest, when they put somebody in leadership. The Messiah means the anointed one, and David had been anointed king. I just want you to remember this. When David says you anoint my head with oil, you anoint my head with oil. You know when he said that? He probably remembers back to when Samuel came to his house and Samuel said I'm looking for the next king of Israel. And he anointed David with oil. David all of a sudden went from being a lonely shepherd boy out on the hillside to knowing God has something big for me, I count, I belong, god wants to use me. And all of a sudden David says now I'm in the cave and you anoint me again, anoint me again. I'm at the bottom of the barrel, my life's running out. I'm scared, I'm worried, but you're anointing me. You know he anointed him as king over Judah. He anointed him again as king over Israel, and now he's in a cave and he's being anointed again. He's being anointed again. He's being anointed. That's a symbol of God being for us.

Austin Gardner: 10:06

I need you to listen to this. Are you hurting? Are you in a cave? Are you hiding from enemies that want to destroy you? Are you dealing with junk that nobody knows about? Did you come into the church with a smile on your face and, just for a moment, forget your problems. But I need you to realize you have a shepherd that's here to help you hurt. When you're hurting, he's here to heal you, and he's also here to remind you of who you are. God is for you.

Austin Gardner: 10:35

Listen to what the Bible says in Romans 8 31. What shall we say then? If God be for us, who can be against us Now? What he's saying here is God is for you. So who do you think is saying against you? God is for you, god is for us. I know that you're in a cave and I know you got cancer and I know you deal with hurting from being old and you got family issues and some of the children won't talk to you and junk's going on in your life. But you need to remember this God's for you and he's reminding you. He's in the cave and David says oh, I know. Now he's anointing my head with oil. He's reminding me of who I am. He's reminding me I'm his. He's reminding me I'm His. He's reminding me I'm His. He has a plan for me and I need you to know this morning you're His and he has a plan for you and you're important to Him and no matter how many things are going wrong and no matter what's happening in your life, you can count on that he's for you.

Austin Gardner: 11:37

The third thing it makes us feel joy again. See, anointing in the Bible is associated with joy and happiness. In Isaiah, chapter 61 and verse 3, here's what he says he does. He gives us beauty for ashes. You need to not mark that in your Bible. You see, you've got ashes right now, but you don't worry about it. God's going to produce beauty. You're going through mess right now, but God's going to produce beauty. You got ashes. It's all burned up and it's all gone and it seems like it's all over, but God's going to give you a beauty for it. He turns your mourning into joy. Look at the verse. He turns your mourning into joy. You're crying today and hurting today, but he's going to turn it into joy. He gives you garments of praise. He gives you garments of praise. That's what all is involved in being anointed.

Austin Gardner: 12:31

The word anoint means in the Hebrew, which is what it was originally written in means to make fat. Anointment to make fat. It meant to saturate you. It meant to make you prosperous, because when you get anointed, he's making you prosperous. He's setting you up in front of everybody. It's a symbol of joy and festivity. It's refreshing to you. It's removing the ashes and refreshing with oil. It's to satisfy you, to make you happy, to bring you joy.

Austin Gardner: 13:05

Now you listen. When he anointed him with oil, david says I'm sitting here in ashes, I'm mourning and my life's falling apart. Things don't seem to be working out. But see, david has. Now you've got to focus on what David's done. From the very beginning of the psalm, david has not been thinking about David.

Austin Gardner: 13:25

Psalm 23 is not about anything David does. It's about everything God does. It says the Lord is my shepherd, the Lord is my. It doesn't say I'm my shepherd, it says the Lord is my shepherd. Then it says I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. You are with me, no matter where I am or what's going on. You lead me. That's what the Bible says. It's about what God's doing. And all of a sudden David can say focusing on the Lord brings back my knowledge of who I am and it brings back the joy of knowing whose I am.

Austin Gardner: 14:08

In Psalm chapter 30, it says you turned for me, my mourning, into dancing. You helped me take off the sackcloth. Which sackcloth was clothes they wore? These, put ashes on their head and wear this garment. That said Everybody look, you see what I'm wearing. It means I'm mourning. David said take off the mourning.

Austin Gardner: 14:30

I was in Kiabamba, peru. I was riding down through the town and I'd see these big black X's on the outside of people's houses. I'm like what in the world? Somebody's sick there. Is it quarantine? What's going on? And so I turned to the Peruvian. I said what's happening? He said they had a death. That's what that means. They had a death. That means they're in mourning and they want you to know they're in mourning. They're telling you they're hurting. That's what David had been wearing mourning clothes. He had been whining and crying and hurting.

Austin Gardner: 15:03

But now he says you know what? As I focus on the Lord, as I realize he's my shepherd. As I realize he's always taking care of me. As I realize he feeds me more than I need to eat. As I realize he brings me peace in the middle of the storm. As I realize that when I'm discouraged and beaten, he encourages me and restores me up. If I realize, when I don't know what to do. He always leads me If I realize when I'm in the middle of the most danger in the world, he's always thinking wow, I'm starting to feel a lot better now because the Lord is my shepherd. The Lord is my shepherd. Even before returning to his throne, he was understanding God's blessing. Even before returning to his throne, he was understanding God's blessing.

Austin Gardner: 15:51

Now, what I'm about to read to you is probably my favorite of all these that we're looking at. He takes away your shame, anointing your head with oil. He takes away your shame. Do you know what you do when you're messed up? You hang your head. What do you do when you're messed up? You can't look people in the eye. What do you do when you're messed up? You either fake it real good, but inside you've got your head down. You're like I, messed up. I don't think you can get any lower than I am. I'm sorry, and when I talk to you I'm very sorry about what's happened here. That's the way we act and before God, almost every one of us feel like I'm a mess. God's kind of angry with me. I mean, god knows about my bad attitudes. He knows about the words I've been saying. He knows about the actions I've been doing. He knows about the attitudes I've been feeling. You know we pray today with our heads bowed. Jews were taught to pray with their arms up and their head up, like I'm talking to God and I got a good relationship.

Austin Gardner: 17:11

But when you've been like David and you messed up so bad you got your head down, you're beat. I mean, david's got it running through his head. My son wants to kill me, but he wouldn't want to kill me if I hadn't messed up so bad. I really didn't take care of him when I should have. When he was a boy, I should have been a better daddy to him and when his brother raped his sister I should have got involved, but I didn't get involved. And then when my son did wrong and I didn't let him kill him, but I still didn't want to bring the relationship back and I really messed up when I stole another man's wife. I stole another man's wife and I really messed up when I killed her husband so I could marry her. I really messed up. I mean, just to be honest with you, I may look good like a king on the outside, but I know on the inside man, I could king on the outside, but I know, on the inside man, I'm about as low as you can get. I messed up Head's down. But then David said he anoints my head with oil. He anoints my head with oil. Well, he's there to help me when he hurts. That's good, that's really sweet. He's there to heal him from all those hurts. He's ready to remind him of who he is. He's really doing something special. But this one really takes the cake. He's taking away his shame.

Austin Gardner: 18:33

Look with me at Psalm 3.3. And you've really got to focus on this verse, psalm 3.3. Focus on this verse with me just a minute. It's one of my favorite phrases in the Bible. Look at it. But thou, o Lord, art a shield for me, my glory and the lifter of my head. And the lifter of my head.

Austin Gardner: 18:59

Do you remember when you was a kid, you ran in to see your mama and you was crying? Do you remember when you was a kid, you ran in to see your mama and you was crying and you was beat and your head was down? And she leaned down and picked up your head, wiped your tears, looked you in the eyes, said don't worry, son, I love you and I'm here for you. How many of you remember that? Come on, did that ever happen to anybody? Yeah, it did. You know what I'm talking about? Yeah, some of the sweetest stuff ever happened to you, wasn't it? Come on Now, look at it.

Austin Gardner: 19:33

He's the lifter of your head. He looks at you and he says hey, don't worry, don't get them tears. I'm going to get them tears. I'm going to give you some kisses. I love you. Read it. Read it. I'm not making it up.

Austin Gardner: 19:48

He's the what is he? He's the what. He's a lifter of our head. He's picking our head up and he's looking us in the eyes. He's a lifter of our head. He's our glory. He's restoring us. He's saying lifter of our head, he's our glory, he's restoring us. He's saying it's okay and he's not happy with your sin. He doesn't want you messing up. He doesn't. He hates sin. But you really want to know what the answer to sin is. He paid for it. He looked at you and said boy, you really messed up, but I paid for it. On Calvary, he looked at you and he said you're not all you ought to be, but don't worry, I took care of it. It's not like God said it's okay to sin. He said it hurts that you sinned. I took your sin payment. I took your death. I hurt for you. He's given you your dignity back.

Austin Gardner: 20:41

You ever notice that when somebody gets beaten enough, things go wrong enough their head's down, they drag their feet. When they walk, they're beaten. They don't feel any dignity. It shocks them when somebody calls them their name. It shocks them when somebody pays attention to them. But God comes to you in the cave when you know David, you have messed up. Buddy, you have royally messed up. Nobody's denying that.

Austin Gardner: 21:11

But that's not even the issue here, because it's a relationship. The God of heaven looks at David and says it's okay, buddy, you're my son, I love you. And you can almost hear David on the other side saying wow, what kind of love is this? That he would call me the child of God. That's what God's calling us as his children. Are you ready?

Austin Gardner: 21:34

It's God saying you can look me in the face, face to face. When I was a kid, we used to sing songs about that. Face to face with Jesus, face to face with Christ, my Savior. You remember those songs, the old song Hayward Duff, back there, face to face. Remember that we don't ever think like that. But God looks at you and he says hey, hey, hey, look at me. Look at you, eyeball to eyeball, cheek to cheek.

Austin Gardner: 22:02

You say I'm not worthy to look God in the face. No, you're not, not until Jesus steps in and takes all your guilt and all your shame and all your mess and says just stay here a minute. I got to go to Calvary, I'm going to take care of your mess. Now he comes back and says okay, everything's fixed. There's nothing between you and the Savior. There's nothing you, you and the Savior. There's nothing you've got to hide, nothing you've got to worry about. Lift your head. And he lifts your head because you won't. You're over, like I ain't worthy, I ain't worthy. He says, oh, lift your head. I paid for you. I don't deserve to get on that airplane. I couldn't pay for the ticket. Oh, don't worry about it, I paid for the ticket. Lift your head. He's a lifter of your head. He's giving you your dignity back. He's saying you can look at me face to face. You can be in the presence of Christ without shame or embarrassment, Face to face. What will it be like when I contemplate Him with rapture, jesus Christ who died for me? We will be able to look him in the face.

Austin Gardner: 23:08

Now maybe as just an aside note, a personal illustration. You know, when the cop stops you for speeding, you don't really want to look him in the eye Because you're guilty. You know't really want to look him in the eye because you're guilty. You know it and he knows it and you might as well just say give me the ticket, it's over. I mean, I don't stand a chance here anyway. And you don't look at him and say, hey, how you doing Everything good between us. You don't do that. It ain't good between you. You know good will, it ain't.

Austin Gardner: 23:41

You know there are very few places you can feel that complete face-to-face, eyeball-to-eyeball, accepted and loved. Really there are very few places. It was back on your mama's knee. She might even have whipped your little fanny and then, when she whipped your fanny, she'd sit you on her leg, wrap you up and come on. You remember that. You remember that. You remember that.

Austin Gardner: 24:06

But see, I can have that with one person I know more than anybody, and that's my wife, because I know she just takes me like I am. She takes me when I'm fat and she takes me when I'm skinny. She takes me when I got cancer and when I don't have cancer. There's just nothing hidden between us. Do you understand what I'm saying to you here? And the Father looks at you and says face to face, because Jesus paid your debt.

Austin Gardner: 24:34

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians, chapter 13, verse 12, now we see through a glass, darkly, but then face to face. But then face to face. Now I know in part, but then shall to face. But then face to face. Now I know in part, but then shall I know, even as I am known you, if you're saved, you are righteous, you are right, you are just with God. There's nothing between you and God, because God has removed all that through Jesus Christ. That's not who you are, and such were some of you. Nothing between you and God, because God has removed all that through Jesus Christ. That's not who you are, and such were some of you, but that's not who you are now You've been washed and sanctified and justified. Huh, you know what he does. He doesn't write letters in the New Testament to the sinners at the church at Shady Grove. He writes to the saints at Shady Grove because he made us saints, he called us saints, that's what he calls us. You see, he anoints with oil. Before I go to the last one. I just want you to remember.

Austin Gardner: 25:33

I think David's probably in that cave. I think he's pretty messed up at first. I think when he stumbles into that cave that night and the soldiers are standing around outside, I can just imagine him in his tattered royal garments. If he's even wearing his crown, it's kind of hanging off his head. His garments are dirty they're never dirty in the palace. His face is dirty, his feet are dirty, his hands are dirty, he's sweating, he's scared, he's alone, even though the soldiers are there. His own wives are back at the palace being abused. His son's trying to kill him. He's basically alone and his thoughts are chasing him and he's feeling like I don't belong, I don't deserve, I can't be.

Austin Gardner: 26:22

And the Holy Spirit of God says I'm here to anoint you. I'm here to lift your head. I'm here to look you face to face. I'm here to restore our relationship. I'm here for this to work out like it's supposed to work out. I'm here for that.

Austin Gardner: 26:42

The shepherd removes our shame and failure from the account. The shepherd removes our shame and failure from the account. Now you know what I just want to tell you. Now listen to me. You know that junk you did. Come on, you know the junk you did. You don't want your mama to know it, you don't want anybody to know it, but you know. And you know God knows. But if you're a born again believer, you know. He took it off your account. He stepped into your account and said Austin, this is like the biggest stupidity I've ever seen in my life, but that's all right, stick it on Jesus' account. And he reached in, took all the holiness of Jesus, stuck it on my account. He restores us. He anoints our head with oil. He takes it off our account and he puts it on his. He gives us victory over enemies.

Austin Gardner: 27:36

Last thing the anointing is a symbol of being filled with the Holy Spirit. I need you to understand this morning. I am no more spiritual, no more important to God than you are. You understand that the Holy Spirit of God lives in you. He doesn't live in this building. He lives in you, he lives in me and he lives in you and he's filling you. That's God in human, that's God in the Holy Spirit living in you. It's Christ in you, the hope of glory. It's Christ in you and God in Christ and you in God and you in Christ. It's like you're wrapped up in this whole big God thing. He's in you, around you, on you, everywhere about you, and that's what the anointing was, a symbol of.

Austin Gardner: 28:27

The Bible says in Luke 4, 18,. The Holy Spirit anointed Jesus to preach. He anointed Jesus to preach. In 1 John, chapter 2 and verse 20,. John said you have an unction. That's an anointing, an anointing from the Holy One. You have an anointing. He wasn't talking to John, john's talking to the church. You have an anointing. You have that relationship with God. In 1 John 2, 27,. The anointing teaches you. In 2 Corinthians 1, 21 and following, he said Christ has anointed us in God.

Austin Gardner: 29:07

I just want you to know this I don't know what cave you're in. I don't know what problems you're dealing with. I don't know what hurts and bitterness you're dealing with. I don't know where you are, but I need you to know you're never alone. See, david, if you're in the pit, if you're in the cave and all your life's torn apart, I anoint you with oil to remind you who you are, which reminds you I'm here, to remind you I'm the one that fixes you, to remind you that I'm the one that loves you, to remind you that I'm doing a work in you If you're a born-again believer.

Austin Gardner: 29:42

This morning you're fixing to get up and walk out of this auditorium, but you ain't leaving God in here. He's going with you, I don't care where you go Some of you are going to go back and do some stupid stuff. He's going to go with you. He's going to go with you because he loves you, not because of who you are, but because of who he is. And before I close, there might be somebody here this morning that said I'm not sure if I died I'd go to heaven. I'm not sure that I have that relationship with God. Well, I want you to know something he's the one that wants a relationship with you. You don't have to beg him. He's knocking at the door. You don't have to say God, I wish you'd save me. God's like I paid the price for your salvation. Just accept the gift. Accept the gift, just trust me, just believe me. That's what God's calling you to do today. Trust Jesus as your Savior. Trust him to save you and give you that eternal life that he has for all of.