Hello all! I hope you had a great Mother’s Day and good weekend! Thankfully, each day brings us one day closer to being able to meet together! Today we’ll be taking a look at Psalm 4:
Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies?SelahBut know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him.Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent.SelahOffer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the LORD.There are many who say, “Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!”You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.
This Psalm seems to be taking place in the midst of an economic downturn, or a recession or a Great Depression. For the nation of Israel at this time, their entire livelihood depended on how well their crops did. If they had a bountiful harvest then they did well and everything would be ok. If they didn’t have a good harvest, then they would starve and the economy could collapse. So this Psalm helps us answer the question: what do we do when things are not going well, even to the point of being in a recession? Does that sound familiar to anyone? David begins this Psalm by asking God to answer him. Do you ever ask God to answer you? One of the things I so appreciate about the Psalms is they don’t sugar coat emotions. David in his distress demands an answer from God.
For the nation of Israel, and us today, where do we turn when the bottom falls out from under us? The temptation is to turn to other things that give us a quick fix, which God would call idols. When David says “how long will you seek after lies?” That’s exactly what he’s asking! Amos calls idols lies because they can’t back up any of their promises, but we’re so often tempted to look to them instead of God as our source of comfort and strength. But unlike the other idols which lead us to anguish and sin, God will always hear us when we cry out to Him. He doesn’t leave us to our own devices or let us try to figure it out by ourselves, instead He intercedes and gives us exactly what we need. Even when we don’t have enough food to eat, we have our joy in God. That, again, lets us go to sleep in peace, knowing that God will keep us safe! So we can trust God in the highs and the lows, in times of scarcity and times of prosperity.
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Pastor Mike's Musings 