Psalm 4: 1 Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer. 2 How long will you people turn my glory into shame? How long will you love delusions and seek false godsb c3 Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him. 4 Tremble and d do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent. 5 Offer the sacrifices of the righteous and trust in the Lord. 6 Many, Lord, are asking, “Who will bring us prosperity?” Let the light of your face shine on us. 7 Fill my heart with joy when their grain and new wine abound. 8 In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.
Today’s Three Pearls
- …… Turning God’s glory into shame, love of delusions and false gods, the Lord sets the godly apart for Himself.. – v.2-3: As Christians and servants of God, we were designed and created for God’s purpose and pleasure, set apart for His goals. The inability to internalize this as our driving force makes us focus on our own happiness and pleasures ahead of God’s happiness. When we finally understand this intrinsic design of our DNA, our desires and emotions become secondary to God’s, and we will find ourselves doing so many things we don’t feel like doing just because they are the things that make God happy. Blessing and being kind to those who hurt or undermine us comes readily to mind. With that realization comes the confidence that the One who set us apart for Himself, has our back and hears us.
- …Search your hearts on your beds and be still.. – v.4: There is a place for solitude, reflection and quiet contemplation in daily prayer life, and the night-time is a good time to reflect on how we fared on the steps we took on any day of our life’s journey. This is hard-to-follow advice that needs grace. In this era of multiple gadgets competing for the 24 hours of our day, it is harder than ever to do this. But sometimes, the refusal to be still and contemplative is a fear of discovering and dealing with the unpleasantness that lurks within us; similar to the fear that we had as little kids when we were afraid to be alone in the dark with the monsters in our imaginations.
- In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone Lord, make me dwell in safety – v.8: David wrote this when he was sleeping out in the wilderness, under God’s wings, not in his stately palace with armed guards. He had known even in the days of his palatial bed, that his security was worthless if God was not watching over him. This confident knowledge together with his nightly reflection with his Maker gave him peace and helped him to sleep, whether he was abound or abased. He slept with mercy and truth (God’s Word) on his mind, they watched over him and spoke to him in the morning (Prov. 6:21-22); he slept with his head full of good thoughts and woke up in the morning with his heart in a better frame. In that period of total helplessness called sleep, where our knowledge and skills are useless to us, it is only the Lord that protects and preserves.
Hilltop Thoughts, Valley Strengths 