Psalm 4
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[a] 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.
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[a] 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.
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
"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."
The first thing I noticed as I meditated on this psalm was the personal pronouns sprinkled through the verse...me, I, my. It made it so well...personal. David calls out to His God...He wants God's attention now! Pay attention to me when I cry to You, Lord! David is struggling here and brokenhearted regarding his son's Absalom's betrayal. His name was being dragged through the mud. He was being lied about and slandered. His very life was threatened. David calls on the God of his righteousness knowing He could be trusted. David knew that the Lord was his witness and his defender. Psalm 11:7 says For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright. As I thought a little more, however, I realized that any righteous David had was the Lord's anyway...He was calling on the One who made him righteous. The same is true for us. Our righteousness comes from Him...it is His job, not ours, to defend it. He is the God who sees. He knows the truth and is a righteous Judge. The battle is not ours to fight..it is His. Did you notice I repeated myself. Girls, this is one of the hardest things for us humans...to acknowledge our own helplessness and trust God to fight the battles. We so want to jump in and when we do we only wind up hurting ourselves and others around us. Wait on God...His timing and plans are perfect! The next time you are offended, falsely accused, or betrayed be still and know that He is God and commit yourself to Him. Follow Jesus' example who was delivered to death for our offenses and "And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth."
"You have relieved me in my distress." The Lord had shown mercy before to David and he knew that He would show it again. The King James version says "enlarged" me in my distress. What? The Lord had enlarged the ground under his feet so he could stand...He had given him more room literally. Sometimes in the midst of a difficult trial it is hard to catch our breath. We need some space, some breathing room...room to stand. The Lord did this for David and does it for us. It reminds me of 1 Corinthians 10:13 which says: " No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it,"
Another way we can look at the word enlarged is to think of what trials do for us. Trials relieve us of self when we respond to them obediently and in faith. They make us more useful for ministry, because they help conform us into the image of Jesus. He increases ...our hearts become enlarged with Him and we decrease. That is a beautiful thing to behold! I have seen it in my own life and in the lives of other believers.
"Have mercy on me and hear my prayer." The older I get the more I pray for mercy. I know there is nothing in me that deserves anything but death and am so grateful that I can call out to Him, the God of mercy in my distress. I love this too, because the more I face my own nothingness, the more I see His greatness, goodness and power. He truly is so gracious to us. David is doing the same thing. He acknowledges his own helplessness and weakness and throws himself on God's mercy. I am going to end here and pick up another day in verse 2. Read the verses below and revel in His mercy and grace.
Psalm 56:1 Be merciful to me, O God, for man would swallow me up; Fighting all day he oppresses me.
Psalm 57:1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, Until these calamities have passed by.
Psalm 57:2 I will cry out to God Most High, To God who performs all things for me.
Psalm 86:3 Be merciful to me, O Lord, For I cry to You all day long.
Psalm 86:4 Rejoice the soul of Your servant, For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
Psalm 86:5 For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.
Psalm 119:75 I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are right, And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.
Psalm 119:76 Let, I pray, Your merciful kindness be for my comfort, According to Your word to Your servant.
Psalm 119:77 Let Your tender mercies come to me, that I may live; For Your law is my delight.
Psalm 119:132 Look upon me and be merciful to me, As Your custom is toward those who love Your name.
Psalm 143:2 Do not enter into judgment with Your servant, For in Your sight no one living is righteous.
Exodus 34:6 And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, long suffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,
Do you see how absolutely freeing it is to leave all in God's hands and just trust Him. His character is merciful, gracious, long suffering and abounding in goodness and truth. Do what David did and hide under the shelter of His wing. A mighty fortress is our God!
Love
Mom
"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."
The first thing I noticed as I meditated on this psalm was the personal pronouns sprinkled through the verse...me, I, my. It made it so well...personal. David calls out to His God...He wants God's attention now! Pay attention to me when I cry to You, Lord! David is struggling here and brokenhearted regarding his son's Absalom's betrayal. His name was being dragged through the mud. He was being lied about and slandered. His very life was threatened. David calls on the God of his righteousness knowing He could be trusted. David knew that the Lord was his witness and his defender. Psalm 11:7 says For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright. As I thought a little more, however, I realized that any righteous David had was the Lord's anyway...He was calling on the One who made him righteous. The same is true for us. Our righteousness comes from Him...it is His job, not ours, to defend it. He is the God who sees. He knows the truth and is a righteous Judge. The battle is not ours to fight..it is His. Did you notice I repeated myself. Girls, this is one of the hardest things for us humans...to acknowledge our own helplessness and trust God to fight the battles. We so want to jump in and when we do we only wind up hurting ourselves and others around us. Wait on God...His timing and plans are perfect! The next time you are offended, falsely accused, or betrayed be still and know that He is God and commit yourself to Him. Follow Jesus' example who was delivered to death for our offenses and "And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth."
"You have relieved me in my distress." The Lord had shown mercy before to David and he knew that He would show it again. The King James version says "enlarged" me in my distress. What? The Lord had enlarged the ground under his feet so he could stand...He had given him more room literally. Sometimes in the midst of a difficult trial it is hard to catch our breath. We need some space, some breathing room...room to stand. The Lord did this for David and does it for us. It reminds me of 1 Corinthians 10:13 which says: " No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it,"
Another way we can look at the word enlarged is to think of what trials do for us. Trials relieve us of self when we respond to them obediently and in faith. They make us more useful for ministry, because they help conform us into the image of Jesus. He increases ...our hearts become enlarged with Him and we decrease. That is a beautiful thing to behold! I have seen it in my own life and in the lives of other believers.
"Have mercy on me and hear my prayer." The older I get the more I pray for mercy. I know there is nothing in me that deserves anything but death and am so grateful that I can call out to Him, the God of mercy in my distress. I love this too, because the more I face my own nothingness, the more I see His greatness, goodness and power. He truly is so gracious to us. David is doing the same thing. He acknowledges his own helplessness and weakness and throws himself on God's mercy. I am going to end here and pick up another day in verse 2. Read the verses below and revel in His mercy and grace.
Psalm 56:1 Be merciful to me, O God, for man would swallow me up; Fighting all day he oppresses me.
Psalm 57:1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, Until these calamities have passed by.
Psalm 57:2 I will cry out to God Most High, To God who performs all things for me.
Psalm 86:3 Be merciful to me, O Lord, For I cry to You all day long.
Psalm 86:4 Rejoice the soul of Your servant, For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
Psalm 86:5 For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.
Psalm 119:75 I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are right, And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.
Psalm 119:76 Let, I pray, Your merciful kindness be for my comfort, According to Your word to Your servant.
Psalm 119:77 Let Your tender mercies come to me, that I may live; For Your law is my delight.
Psalm 119:132 Look upon me and be merciful to me, As Your custom is toward those who love Your name.
Psalm 143:2 Do not enter into judgment with Your servant, For in Your sight no one living is righteous.
Exodus 34:6 And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, long suffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,
Do you see how absolutely freeing it is to leave all in God's hands and just trust Him. His character is merciful, gracious, long suffering and abounding in goodness and truth. Do what David did and hide under the shelter of His wing. A mighty fortress is our God!
Love
Mom
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