Psalm 4 – A Peaceful Prayer of Trust in Adverse Circumstances

By Pastor Tim Miller

First Baptist Church of Roxana

As so often happens in the psalms, we find David calling out to God in the midst of trouble. What trouble David find himself in here is not specified. Nor does it need to be, for his distress exemplifies that of every believer that has ever lived. Here is a delightful prayer that reveals the inner peace and joy that a believer has even during trials. It is a prayer of trust in God and compassion for the lost souls of men.

¹ Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!

You have relieved me in my distress;
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer.

God has counted those who believe in Him to be righteous just as He is righteous. In theological terms, this is called justification. God demands righteousness, because He Himself is righteous. But this is an unattainable standard for mankind. So God, in His grace and mercy, has counted those who believe in Him to be righteous on the basis of the atonement that Jesus His Son made when He was crucified for the sins of the world.

Upon those righteous ones, He has bestowed His covenant. According to His lovingkindness, He protects them. So David prays that God, the God of his righteousness, would answer his prayer and protect him during his current situation. Believers can be assured that God hears such prayer and answers. They are so assured, because of the character of God and because they see God answer prayer all the time. So David prays that just as God had relieved his distress before, that He would do so again now. Believers can pray such bold and expectant prayers when they are living according to the Word of God, knowing that He is for them and that no one can be against them.

² O sons of men, how long will my honor become a reproach?

How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception? Selah.
³ But know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for Himself;
The Lord hears when I call to Him.

David turns his attention to his enemies—they are but men, not gods—and he implores them to understand that their fight is not with him but with God. They hate his honor and love deception and worthless things. He warns them that God is the one who sets apart the godly for Himself, and that He hears when he call to Him.

Having been justified, David was sanctified positionally. That is, he was set apart as God’s own possession. And God hears His godly ones when they call out to Him in prayer. David knew that God would fight for him while he remained still.

⁴ Tremble, and do not sin;

Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.
⁵ Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,
And trust in the Lord.

Since they were picking a fight with God and not him, David exhorts his enemies to tremble and stop sinning. He tells them to speak in their heart upon their beds and be still. He is calling them to repentance.

First, he tells them that they must come to grips with the One that they are facing. They must tremble before the Almighty God of heaven and earth.

Second, they must cease from sin, for God hates sin and punishes it.

Third, they must ponder the truth of God in their hearts.

Fourth, they must be still and cease from their strivings. Righteousness is not given on the basis of merit. It is given by the grace of God upon a repentant heart.

Fifth, they must worship the Lord, offering pleasing sacrifices to Him that indicate thanksgiving. Sacrifices were a way to worship the Lord under the Old Covenant. But the thankful heart was what God wanted most, and now requires under the New Covenant. Those who have been declared righteous by God are as a matter of fact thankful.

Finally, they must trust in the Lord.

⁶ Many are saying, “Who will show us any good?”

Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O Lord!
⁷ You have put gladness in my heart,
More than when their grain and new wine abound.
⁸ In peace I will both lie down and sleep,
For You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety.

So many people ask this question: “Who will show us any good?” May we join David in praying that God would lift up the light of His countenance upon them. In other words, may He reveal Himself graciously to them. When someone comes to the Lord, they find the same joy and gladness that all believers have found. It is a joy that exceeds the experience and imagination of the unsaved. And they experience a peace that is unlike any other, for they know that the Lord is with them. So they can lie down and sleep with the utmost confidence during the most turbulent of circumstances. Praise the Lord for His loving care of every one of His children!