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Psalms chapter 4 always makes me cry. No, I don’t mean I burst into an immediate, ugly cry when I read it. I mean, when I’m alone, I cry when I read it.
There's something uniquely comforting and relatable about David's raw honesty in this psalm. He expresses both distress and trust in God simultaneously. I find immediate connection with his vulnerability, coupled with the promise of God's mercy. The sentiment in the word is incredibly touching.
“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.”
~ Psalms 4:1
David starts the psalm with a declaration of total dependance upon God. David's ability to maintain such humility despite his position as a king shows his true character and his deep-rooted faith. David was often called the “Light of Israel” (PS 27) and he would respond, “The Lord is my light.” Just as the moon can claim no light of its own, but rather it reflects the light of the sun.
No matter how powerful David became as a king of an empire, he never lost the little boy part of him that would stare up at the blanket of stars in the night sky above him and understand his own smallness in comparison to God.
David's direct and childlike appeal to God is truly heart-wrenching. It's a reminder that our relationship with God doesn't need to be complex or filled with religious ceremony. It can be as simple as a child calling out to a loving parent.
This kind of intimacy and trust is something we all yearn for in our own spiritual journeys. David reduces himself to this simple, beautiful truth: his identity is forever linked to God. He stands before God not as a king, but as a son, confident in his Father's love and protection.
Here is a man, standing before his God. A boy standing secure before his father.
As I read the passage, my lower eyelids begin to feel warm, and I can feel the tears starting to make their dash to escape. I am suddenly a little boy in my footed pajamas with a shock of wild, dark brown hair sticking up awkwardly.
I am alone in a dark room, and I am afraid. Not of the dark, but of what will happen if I disturb who is in the light.
I need a drink of water. Because my throat is dry, and I feel as if no one is aware of where I am or that they care to know. Carefully I slide my pajama bottomed feet to the bedroom floor and make my way to the door of the dark room. I slowly open it to see a darkened hallway before me. At the other end of the hallway is a recliner chair. a soft yellow light burning beside it.
I'm wanting to call out, but I am afraid. I had been told it was bedtime. I wasn't supposed to get out of bed. To do so would be, "disobedient and rebellious." I am a little boy who is thirsty, but i dont want to be those things and "disobedient and rebellious."
My throat is dry, it itches, and it hurts.
I had laid in the dark for as long as I could, swallowing, trying to ease the itch. Do I call out?
Do I dare to let my voice go down the hallway? What will happen?
Will the voice from the recliner be upset and become angry with me for disobeying?
Will I hear the voice sigh with frustration and shift their weight to stand and then come to address my blatant disobedience?
Will I turn and run, scrambling frantically back into the dark with the footsteps of correction coming to deal with me?
My throat is dry, it itches, and it hurts, and I am afraid of who is in the light.
David's confidence in his ability to approach God stems from his understanding of his righteousness as a gift from God, not his own merit. It's a powerful image of a child boldly approaching a loving father, secure in their relationship.
This verse highlights the core of the Christian faith: our righteousness is not earned but given to us through grace. It's a foundation of unshakeable confidence in our relationship with Him.
David speaks so confidently assured of his place in the heart of God and then he looks around at those who in his life.
“How long, O you sons of men, will you turn my glory to shame? How long will you love worthlessness and seek falsehood? Selah”
~ Psalms 4:2
I don’t detect judgement from David towards the others, or condemnation in a “better than you” attitude. I detect a profound sadness in his tone. Almost as if he is wanting to ask them, “Why would you choose any other source than God? Why would you settle?”
Then I can see him asking me as I read verse two, “Daniel, are you choosing other sources because you are afraid of who is in the light?”
I tighten my lower lip into a thin line and nod my head up and down as tears are now forming pathways down my cheeks.
I am a little boy. I am alone in a dark room, and I am afraid. Not of the dark, but of what will happen if I disturb who is in the light.
David’s eyes soften as he looks down into mine.
“Mark this well: The Lord has set apart the redeemed for himself. Therefore, He will listen to me and answer when I call.”
~ Psalms 4:3
The words are heavy but beautiful. Doesn’t David understand? I was told it was bedtime. I was given a chance to get a drink, but I was so wrapped up in playing that I forfeited my right to a drink. I disobeyed and got out of bed. I deserve a dry and itchy throat. Karma right? I was rebellious and made a bad choice.
Verse three is a tearjerker because David's words validate my hesitancy to trust and respond with a quiet and unmistakable truth.
You are a child, who has a need. You have a father who wants to meet your needs.
(As I write this, I am a mess, and the ugly cry is happening. You were warned)
David then kneels on the bedroom carpet and places a hand on each shoulder. Through the gash of dim light from the hallway, I can see his eyes as he takes command of mine. I am trembling. The footsteps are getting louder.
Davids’ voice is low, firm, and safe.
“Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed and be still. Selah. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness and put your trust in the Lord.”
~ Psalms 4:4-5
His words, spoken with a gentle authority, wash over me like a cool cloth on a fevered brow. The fear begins to slip away as a sense of peace starts to fill the space between us.
In that moment, I am still the boy, but I feel a deep connection to something greater than myself, a connection that transcends the fear of the dark and what the impending footsteps could bring.
Fear and faith both demand we believe in something that has not yet happened. While faith leads to experience and trust, fear directly leads to anger and isolation. I become angry about circumstances that I am afraid will harm me. I become angry about what fear tells me will happen because of mistakes I or others have made. The truth here is life changing.
When you are alone, in a darkened circumstance, you are in a place where you need to be seen and cared for, don’t feel as if you need to act or fix the fear.
Be still. Meditate, not on what has happened, and not on the dark. Stop swallowing to ease the pain of your itchy throat. Meditate on the goodness and complete love of the voice within the light at the end of the hall.
This incredible passage encapsulates a core principle of biblical faith: righteous living and trust in God are intrinsically linked.
In the Old Testament context, sacrifices were primarily animal offerings made to atone for sins or to express gratitude. However, the concept of "righteousness" elevates the idea of sacrifice beyond a ritual.
The sacrifice becomes an act of worship that stems from a heart transformed by God's grace. It's about offering one's life as a living sacrifice, dedicated to God's will.
Righteousness involves living according to God's moral standards. This includes acts of kindness, justice, and love towards others. At the cross, God, through Jesus, imputed his righteousness to you. You are clothed in his righteousness. God knew man could not stand before Him in his own merit, so He sent Jesus to become our atonement.
Prayer, fasting, and studying God's word are considered spiritual sacrifices that honor God. These allow me to grow in my understanding of who God is to me, and who I am to God. Growth, in turn, produces trust.
Trust is the foundation upon which the relationship with God is built. It’s the confidence that God is good, sovereign, and faithful.
Trust in the Lord
Trusting in the Lord means relying on God's wisdom, strength, and provision. It’s acknowledging God as the ultimate source of help and hope. This is dependence.
Trusting involves surrendering one's plans and desires to God's will, believing that His plans are better. This is submission.
If we could break this down into a math equation, the formula could look this way:
M -> (D + S) = GT -> IC
· Meditation (M) increases Dependence (D) and Submission (S).
· Dependence (D) + Submission (S) equals GreaterTrust (GT).
· Greater Trust (T) leads to Insane Confidence (IC).
Insane Confidence in God's promises is believing in God's promises and relying on His faithfulness to fulfill them.
In essence, the verse calls for a life lived in obedience to God, coupled with a deep-rooted trust in His character and promises. It’s a holistic approach to spirituality that encompasses both actions and faith.
“Many ask, “Who can show us the good?” Shine the light of Your face upon us, O LORD. You have filled my heart with more joy than when grain and new wine abound.”
~Psalms 4:6-7
The tears are gone, the trembling has subsided, and I am now a smiling little boy. The shadow filling the light from the doorway does not cause me panic. I turn to look up at the giant form filling the doorway. The light spilling out around the form, filling my darkened heart with light from the hall.
The sight of me standing in the middle of my room with my footed pajamas, hair sticking up from my cowlicked head, and my squinting red and swollen eyes meets the voice from the light.
There is no yelling about my mistake to get out of bed. There is no talking about my disobedient heart, or rebellious determination.
This is my father, and I am his son.
You are a child, who has a need. You have a father who wants to meet your needs.
From the massive form in the doorway, a plastic superman cup, my cup, is full and extended to me. As I gulp the refreshing liquid down my throat, a large and loving hand tussles my mop of hair, I am picked up, hugged, and placed in my bed once more.
The voice speaks.
“Goodnight, bud, sleep well.” And then the room is dark once more.
“I will lie down and sleep in peace, for tho I am alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.”
~ Psalms 4:8
Suddenly, the room shifts. I am no longer the little boy, but now a grown man in a dark room. The mistakes of my life become heavy, and the weight of anger and fear begin to push my chest to the point where my heart feels as if it will stop, and part of me would be fine with that if it meant the pain of the woundings and hurts I have acquired would go away.
My throat is dry, it itches, and it hurts, and for a moment, I am afraid of who is in the light.
Psalms 4: 1-8 slips into my mind and I don’t even have to get up.
I whisper, “Father, I am afraid. I have made some mistakes and messed up my life so badly. I’m hurt. I have been betrayed, and I feel so alone. My soul is dry, and I cannot see any way out of this. I didn't want this to happen to my life. I did not ask for this pain….
… But you are good. You are my strength, my shield, my tower, and my defender. I face nothing alone, and whatever happens in this darkness will not be unnoticed by you. You know your thoughts and plans for me, and they are for the good. ALL things work together for the good. I will rest in your goodness and wear your peace as my clothing. The darkness is as the day to you and no weapon formed against me shall prosper. YOUR Spirit is within me and there is no one I cannot love, forgive, or seek peace with. I am your child, and you are my father.”
I close my eyes and for the first time in as long as I can remember I am able to find victory in the two words I have struggled with for most of my life. Feeling Alone and feeling Safe.
In the depths of our own darkness, may we remember the promise of light. Let us seek the solace of the Father and find in Him the strength to face whatever storms may come.
~ Daniel
For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry, “Abba! Father!” ~ Romans 8:15
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