Psalm 4

A Bible Devotion from Psalm 4
The Lord will Hear When I Call to Him

1 Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
         You have relieved me in my distress;
         Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.

2 How long, O you sons of men,
         Will you turn my glory to shame?
         How long will you love worthlessness
         And seek falsehood?  Selah
3 But know that the LORD has set apart for Himself him who is godly;
         The LORD will hear when I call to Him.

4 Be angry, and do not sin.
         Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.  Selah
5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,
         And put your trust in the LORD.

6 There are many who say,
         “Who will show us any good?”
         LORD, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us.
7 You have put gladness in my heart,
         More than in the season that their grain and wine increased.
8 I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;
         For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.
(Psalm 4, New King James Version)

Do you ever have trouble sleeping at night? I woke up last night when the phone rang at 12:30 AM. I never did know who called; but, instead of going back to sleep, I began to worry. How would my daughter be able to pay for college? How high would the electric bill be this month? How silly of me to let such trite things rob me of sleep. Why do I call them trite? Money difficulties which seem to plague us every day surely cannot be considered trite, can they? Yes, they ARE trite because God has already taken care of them.

How does God view us from His perspective? Look at Psalm 4, verses 2 and 3:

How long, O you sons of men,
Will you turn my glory to shame?
How long will you love worthlessness
And seek falsehood?
But know that the LORD has set apart for Himself him who is godly;
The LORD will hear when I call to Him.

Were these words just for David, the Psalmist? No! They apply to Christians today just as much as they did to David over 2000 years ago.

By God's grace, as one of God's people that He has set apart for Himself, we know that the Lord will hear when we call out to him.

So, I prayed for peace from God, knowing that He is always there to help, even in money difficulties. No, I didn't go right back to sleep; I read for an hour, and THEN went back to sleep.

Look at what else Psalm 4 tells us. We are told by God not to be angry and sin. Instead he tells us, Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.

David concedes that God has put gladness in his heart, more than in the season that grain and wine increased. More than the winning the lottery? Yes! More than winning the lottery.

Verse 8 should be our goal: I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. Safety here not only means safety from danger, but also safety from any of life's problems that seem to so quickly overtake us.

Pray to God today, that He will help you to remember to take all of your difficulties to Him. Then, go to sleep in peace, because they are now in the hands of God. This is the God we serve!

Next: Psalm 5, You O Lord Would Bless the Righteous

More Devotions from Psalm 4

Verse 1, Hear My Prayer

Verses 2-3, Set Apart

Verses 4-5, Stand in Awe

Verses 6-7, Gladness in My Heart

Verse 8, Peace