RESTING EASY IN THE LORD

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

How long will you people turn my glory into shame? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods? Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him.

Tremble and do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent. Offer the sacrifices of the righteous and trust in the Lord.

Many, Lord, are asking, “Who will bring us prosperity?” Let the light of your face shine on us. Fill my heart with joy when their grain and new wine abound.

In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.

Psalm 4 

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

The United States is in the midst of difficult times. The economy is suffering and, as a byproduct, unemployment is high and people are losing their homes to foreclosures, no longer able to pay for them. Prices are high on every day consumer needs like food and gasoline and utilities. Resultant financial strains are impacting our families who are trying to figure out a way to make ends meet. The stress of living today has driven an alarming people to the ultimate display of despair and hopelessness: suicide.

Yes, times are hard and maybe we find ourselves feeling like David at the start of the 4th Psalm and crying out for help. Look at his words:

“Who will bring us prosperity?”

“Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer.”

Note here two things.

First, David is calling on God for relief.

There are many people crying out today for help but they cry out to the wrong source. Those in trouble cry out to their families and friends. They cry out to organizations that can provide them assistance. Sometimes they just cry without knowing who they are crying out to, the pressures inside building to where they need to be vented.

David wastes no time identifying who he is calling out to. He petitions God who is righteous and just, loving and caring, ever ready to help His children in need in accordance with His will. David knew that God was his very present help in times of trouble just as He is ours.

And this leads to the second thing to note: David trusted God.

It’s the very reason David called out to Him in the first place. He knew God heard spoken prayers. He knew God would hear prayers because He was a merciful. He knew God would answer prayers and deliver, bring relief from his distress.

It seems simple enough, doesn’t it?

Trust God and cry out to Him alone for relief. It’s too simple.

So why do so many people not do it?

Maybe because they aren’t willing to place the world aside and turn to God and His Jesus exclusively.

Look at what David said more than 2,000 years ago and ask yourself if it doesn’t apply even today:

“How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?”

In other words, how long will you take to give your lives to the Lord – the very One who gave them to you in the first place?

Yes, the very God of the universe who formed you by way of His own hands is ready to help you, to listen to your prayers, and deliver you in accordance with His will. But you have to trust Him completely and be completely obedient to His word and way, turning from the delusions of this world and all the false offerings it provides for you to seek and worship.

Today, you can take your first steps toward change and begin resting easy in the Lord. Let’s go back to the Psalm for some specific action steps you need to take before this can happen:

1. Tremble and do not sin.

Sin is the great barrier that will separate you from a fully productive relationship with God. You can’t serve sin and God together.

And so you need to choose between the two. Will you pick sin and pursue your selfish desires, turning your back on the Lord who holds your very life in His hand? Or will you choose to turn your back on sin and pursue the righteous life that God expects you to live? He even gave us the only perfect role model when it comes to righteous living in His Son Jesus – our Savior. Read His life story in the gospels and live likewise and you will always find yourself in favor with the Father and walking away from sin.

You can’t take any step toward being in God’s favor until you take this one. Until you turn from sin and commit yourself to a living relationship with Jesus Christ, you are destined to destruction.

Is that worth doing your own thing?

2. Seek yourself.

Need to find out where you need to change to get right with God?

The Psalm tells us to search our hearts and be silent. In other words, we deliberately come before God and submit ourselves to Him, asking Him to show us anything that is in our hearts that needs changing, then silently listen for Him to tell us what to do. Know and trust that when you do that, God will deliver and then expects us to take the next steps. For in obedience and reverence unto Him, understanding that we can’t relate to sin and Him together, we need to make the necessary changes and sacrifices to move toward His righteousness.

Read these words of one of my favorite hymns, taken from Jesus’ command in Matthew 6:33, and carry them out:

Seek ye first the kingdom of God
And His righteousness
And all these things shall be added unto you
Allelu, alleluia

3. Trust in the Lord.

As stated earlier, David trusted in God to deliver. We need to as well.

For as we get right with God and pursue His righteousness, turning from our sins, we will begin to realize the fullest measure of His joy, His hope, and His providence unto us. In other words, we start to see how very blessed we are and this realization spurs us onto praise and worship unto the God who made us and loved us so much that He gave His only Son Jesus to die on Calvary’s cross, paying the penalty for your sins and mine. This is why God hates sin. It cost Him the life of His only Son. We should hate sin just as much ourselves.

And so what is the end result here? What is the reward for seeking God, turning from sin, choosing righteousness, and developing a full trust in God?

The end result is peace – and not just any peace – but a peace the scriptures describe as beyond all understanding (Philippians 4:6-7).

No one but God can grant you this peace – a peace David knew as he was a man after God’s own heart. When we do likewise, then we can say these words that closed the Psalm:

“In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.”

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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