Psalm 4 - Day 4

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of David.

^[a]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 men turn my glory into shame?
   How long will you love delusions and seek false gods^[b]?^[c]
3 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.

Man how times have changed. I don’t think I would be comfortable saying to God (Verse 1) “Answer me when I call to you.”  I truly long to have that kind of relationship though. One that is so open, so revealing, so raw. I know (Verse 3) …the LORD hears when I call to him. Some times it just seems like you are waiting and waiting for a response. But it’s not my timing where things happen, it’s God’s. When I try to help push things along, that’s when trouble begins.

I love the advice in Verse 4; …search your hearts and be silent. Why do we have such a hard time being silent? We love to talk. Or maybe it’s just me. But it seems like when there is silence in a room, we tend to get squirmy and want to fill it with something. I love this idea though. Silence. What a sweet reminder of how God is present in even silence. Maybe the most present. I need to be silent more and just listen.

This actually goes hand in hand with what I’ve been doing since November 2010. It started out as a 40 day fast from the radio as I drove my car. I’m always on the go and I needed more personal prayer time with God. I was longing to get a deeper connection with Him and this was a perfect option for me at the time. Once the 40 days was up, it seemed too early to turn the radio back on. So then it became an 80 day fast. And now, it’s turned into a 365 day fast. I LOVE music and I LOVE to dance to it. It’s my way of expressing how I feel about Him and what He is doing in my life. My sense of patience has grown during this time. Of course I have no idea what new music is out right now but I hear what I’m supposed to through suggestions from people.

Verse 8; In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety. This is another place to be still and silent. A perfect place for your body to recharge physically and spiritually. This morning I woke up to a sleeping pea pod. Usually he’s the one waking me up with the sound of “Hi!” As soon as he saw me, he was recharged and ready to conquer another day. This is how I want to be recharged for the Lord. Ready to take on all challenges and obstacles that come my way because I know He is by my side and will keep me safe.