October 2 - Psalm 4

October 2 – Psalm 4:1-8

Hmmm .. the NIV actually has translated this incorrectly. In actuality, the Psalmist is praising God for answering and for offering relief. I checked the New American Standard and a couple of other versions. In fact, the Hebrew says, “you have enlarged me when I am in distress.” In other words, God gave David room when stress hit him.

Now, that sounds wonderful! When I get stressed, it feels like the walls are closing in on me and I can barely function. But, God gave David a larger amount of space so that he could face what was bothering him.

After praying to a righteous God, David begins to deal with those people that are stressing him out. It seems as if everything that he does is being disrupted. There is opposition all around, but David asserts that God has set him apart and reminds those who are dealing poorly with him that the best place to be is in a right relationship with the Lord.

At whatever point David is in his life, there are people who follow him, but are discontent with his leadership. So, they ask “Who can show us any good?”

David responds in Psalm 4:6b with the benediction from Numbers 6:24-26, “Let your light shine on them, O Lord.”

He finishes with beautiful words of praise. Even in the face of the opposition, David knows who will care for him and who has given him the blessings that he has. The great blessings are found within himself, in his heart where the relationship he has with the Lord is fulfilled. And in the face of all of that stress, I find the last verse to be amazing.

“I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” (Psalm 4:8)

I generally write these blog posts before I fall asleep at night. It is one thing to count on the safety of the four walls that surround me to keep me safe from harm, but it is fully a different thing to count on the safety of the Lord’s arms around me to keep me safe from evil.