Psalm 4:8: I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for you alone, O LORD, make me lie down in safety.
Christian Counselor David Powlison recently said that the great men of God were men who lived Psalmically. I have never heard that expression before: To live Psalmically. What does that look like? When the Psalmist was distressed, He trusted in God. When he was persecuted, He put judgment in the Hands of God. In our reading of Psalm 4 this morning, the Psalmist declares that Yahweh alone makes us dwell in safety. He alone causes us to lie down and sleep in peace. But how can we sleep in peace? Life is so tumultuous and chaotic! How can we sleep in peace when tomorrow there is so much to do? How can we sleep in peace when my friend or family member is ill? We sleep in peace because the mercies of God are new every morning. We sleep in peace, because if we never awake in this world, we will be awaken to the smile of our Resurrected Lord. We sleep in peace because Yahweh is our great rest. As the hymn writer says: We rest on thee, our Shield and our Defender.
Prayer: Be merciful to us, O Lord. Hear our prayer and may we live Psalmically all the days of our lives.
Uri,
Thank you so much for your thoughts on Ps 4:8. We have been teaching it to our boys. Each night we rehearse the verse with them and then sing a song by Steve Green which quotes the song. I think it is a good way to get them settled in for the night.
Thanks again,
Tim