Psalm 4

Psalm 4
Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer. How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods? Selah
Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD will hear when I call to him. In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent. Selah
Offer right sacrifices and trust in the LORD. Many are asking, "Who can show us any good?" Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD. You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.


I can identify with David so much when I see him crying out to God, crying out to a Righteous God... to have mercy on him and asking God to answers his prayers and not to shut His ears from David's prayers...

Why would people bring turn God's glory into shame? How do they shame God? Has not King David too brought God's glory to shame when he sinned and slept with Uriah's wife, Bathsheba? Now, with the son overthrowing King David, is but the consequences of David sinning against God... Did Nathan not prophesized that (2 Samuel 12:11,12 says: "This is what the LORD says: `Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity upon you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. 12 You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.')

Hence, I can imagine when David discovered that his son, Absalom was sleeping with his concubines in front of the people of Israel, (2 Samuel 16:22 says: So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and he lay with his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel.), David would asked, "How long, o men, would you turn my glory into shame?"

It is God who will set apart the godly for himself. Are we the godly ones who are set apart? Today, as I meditate on Psalm 4, I just felt led to come to God and said, "Lord please forgive me of my sins and hear my prayers... Please do not shut the heavens off from me and let me turn Your glory into shame..."

So many a times, it is so easy for us to feel lousy about our situations and blame others for our difficult environment. Sometimes, we even blame God for not blessing us... when we do not realise it is because we ourselves did not obey the Lord's instructions and hence suffering the consequences of our sins... Today, as we hear the Lord calling us to repent and turn back to Him, we need to search our own hearts and be silent!!! We need to not be angry with others or the situation but be repentful and return back to God, our Heavenly Father who love us...

Let us offer the right sacrifices, let us trust in the Lord!!! Let us be filled with the joy of the Lord and not just with God's blessings, not about having abundant grain & new wine. But let us dwell in the Lord's protection alone, let us rely on Him and Him alone... that there will be no rival God in our hearts.

Thank you, my Lord, my Father for what you are teaching me today...