Answer me when I call to you, O God who declares me innocent. Free me from my troubles. Have mercy on me and hear my prayer. How long will you people ruin my reputation? How long will you make groundless accusations? How long will you continue your lies? Interlude You can be sure of this: The Lord set apart the godly for himself. The Lord will answer when I call to him. Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Think about it overnight and remain silent. Interlude Offer sacrifices in the right spirit, and trust the Lord. Many people say, “Who will show us better times?” Let your face smile on us, Lord. You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine. In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.
Psalms 4:1-8 NLT
Many people ask, “When will there be better times?” (v.6) No matter how life is, people always want it to be better. We are often ungrateful for what we have been given. In this psalm, David was going through some pretty tough times – his reputation had been tarnished, and he was being falsely accused. Yet his confidence came from knowing that God had judged him justly and set him apart.
Two pieces of advice are given – don’t let anger control you (so that you sin), and offer sacrifices to God with a pure heart. Faith can be stronger than anger, and you can trust God to bring justice. Fighting with uncontrolled anger only makes things worse. When you follow Jesus and “fight” with prayer and with love, it changes things for the better. This psalm ends by mentioning abundant joy, peaceful sleep, and safety from the Lord.
How can you grow in gratitude? How do you tend to act when you are attacked?
