A Prayer Through Psalms: Chapter 4

Answer Me When I Call

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.

Psalms 4

1 Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!

   You have given me relief when I was in distress.

   Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!

2 O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?

   How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah

3 But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself;

   the Lord hears when I call to him.

4 Be angry, and do not sin;

   ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent.Selah

5 Offer right sacrifices,

   and put your trust in the Lord.

6 There are many who say, “Who will show us some good?

   Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!”

7 You have put more joy in my heart

   than they have when their grain and wine abound.

8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep;

   for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

Much like the last psalm, this was written in a time of distress for the Psalmist. However, the psalmist has faith in the night and points out that the righteous have nothing to fear because God is good. *NOTE* while the righteous are not without sin, they are in a covenant relationship with God (much like us Christians). 

4:1- The psalmist uses imperative verbs in this verse to illustrate how the righteous can fearlessly call on God because God is his righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6). 

4:2- What you find honor in directly impacts what makes you ashamed. This psalmist finds his honor in God, but when he sees men turning away from God and seeking lies, he feels ashamed.

4:3- "The godly" is another reference to "the righteous".

4:4 and 5-  (see Ephesians 4:26) The Psalmist refers to the attitude with which the people of God should offer the sacrifices listed in Leviticus Chapters 1 through 7, with a righteous heart and trust in God. Without this attitude, no form of worship is acceptable to God.

4:6 and 7- The psalmist is confronted with skeptics presenting the classic problem of evil; however, the psalmist points the skeptics to God who has provided a joy which cannot be found when things are "good" or when "grain and wine abound",

4:8- God confronts our struggling psalmist, giving them the ability to rest.

My prayer for today is that we can be confident in Christ's sacrifice which has made it possible for us to call on God fearlessly. I pray that as our lives progress and things get hard that we can remember to find honor in Christ and find our comfort in Him instead of the conveniences of this world. I pray that God will bless those who are restless and give them rest and confidence in His power to rescue. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.