Hi, I'm a 21 year old hot single male. I like long walks on the beach...oh sorry I thought this was eharmony.com. Well, while I'm here I might as well write about psalm 4.
Here is a personal application of psalm 4:
I am lying in bed, but I can't sleep. My heart is overwhelmed with all the struggles of life. What shall I do? I will pour my heart out to God in prayer. I come before the Lord humbly because I know that it is by his mercy that I can even speak to him. I am God's child and he loves me, so I know he will hear me when I call out to him. As I am pouring out all my troubles to the Lord, suddenly I am silenced. I realize that I am talking to the Lord! The creator of the heavens and the earth, the One who created me. The God who parted the Red Sea and raised people from the dead. How could Christ be so good to me that he would suffer and die for me? I am amazed by the greatness of our Lord. I will put my trust in the Lord. My heart is instantly filled with joy, a greater joy than I can even describe. I close my eyes and sleep in peace.
One of the things that I noticed in psalm 4 is that David in verse 1 said "Give me relief from my distress" and by the end of the psalm he says "I will lie down and sleep in peace." I know we all have struggles and difficulties in life that weigh us down, but psalm 4 gives great insight in how to deal with them. This psalm brought to mind a couple verses from Philippians. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7. Whenever we have anxiety in our life we should pour out our hearts to God. As we present our requests to God, we must not forget to do so "with thanksgiving". As I was trying to show with my initial illustration, if you take your mind off your problems and begin to dwell upon the greatness of God, your once anxious heart will be filled with joy and peace. As Paul says in Romans 8:18,"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the future glory that will be revealed in us." Spend time dwelling upon that future glory and your current struggles will become small in comparison.
I encourage you to take some time right now to think about the greatness of our Lord.
May your hearts be filled with joy!
Bryan
2 comments:
Brian,
I think your personalization of the Psalm is right on. It is interesting how Psalm 4 has many related aspects with Psalm 3, particularly the connection between trusting the LORD and being able to sleep in peace. I wonder how many people lie down at night, when all is quiet and dark, only to guilt and anxiety. Christians should never go to sleep that way. May we all trust Christ for who he really is and for what he has really promised.
Glenn
I knew it had to be Bryan writing this one before I ever got to the end, because who else would open with a joke? :)
Some things in this Psalm that struck me were that God only expects us to do just what he asked (in this Psalm, he says to offer right sacrifices) and then trust Him with the results. We can't do any more than to trust him if we are obeying his commands. Also, in verse three where he says to "know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself," it is a strong reminder that if there is anything godly in me, that it is only because God has chosen for me to be godly, so that I can be his - not because of any merit of my own!
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