Psalm 4 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 4 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1Answer me when I call, O God of my right! You gave me room when I was in distress. Be gracious to me, and hear my prayer.
Verse 2How long, you people, shall my honor suffer shame? How long will you love vain words, and seek after lies? Selah
Verse 3But know that the Lord has set apart the faithful for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him.
Verse 4When you are disturbed, do not sin; ponder it on your beds, and be silent. Selah
Verse 5Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord.
Verse 6There are many who say, "O that we might see some good! Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord!"
Verse 7You have put gladness in my heart more than when their grain and wine abound.
Verse 8I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety.
Devotion
Pastor, there are several people who think ... my obviously troubled conversation partner began. Anonymous disappointment is so powerful. Unwittingly, we often choose to empower anonymity by giving in to it. We'll hear the silent voices of the several when this or that challenge or issue comes up in ministry. It drives ministers crazy! But, even though we recognize the sin in the other, it is also nestled inside us.
This is how the psalmist knows how to quote his nay-sayers, "O that we might see some good!" The writer and the opponents know each other pretty well! This psalm is a bit of a cloaked confession, but notice where the absolution comes! "I lie down and sleep in peace." In other words, knowing the reconciling presence of God is quite like—well—doing nothing. As Father Thomas Keating says: "God's first language is silence. Every other language is a poor translation."
Prayer
God of rest and grace, be so strongly present in my life that I am honest even when pressures lead me to act dishonestly. Amen.