Chew on This: Psalm 4
Sunday, June 29, 2008 at 07:05PM Psalm 4
Answer me when I call,
O God of my righteousness!
You have given me relief when I was in distress.
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!
O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?
How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah
But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself;
the Lord hears when I call to him.
Be angry, and do not sin;
ponder in your own hearts on your beds,
and be silent.
Selah
Offer right sacrifices,
and put your trust in the Lord.
There are many who say, “Who will show us some good?
Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!”
You have put more joy in my heart
than they have when their grain and wine abound.
In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
Oh, this Psalm takes me back about 20 years, when Jake was a preschooler. He used to be afraid at bedtime and always needed an extra hug and a night light. Many was the night that I would sit on the edge of his bed in the semi-darkness just sitting there with him, talking to him about this thing and that; praying with him. Those were the days of one more drink, one more hug, one more question, one more story.
I told my sister, Kathy, about Jake's night fears and she gave us a little piece of paper (might have been a sticker) with a cheerful little blue bird and the words of Psalm 4:8. This became Jake's comfort in the night. We taped it to his headboard and it was always there, reminding him that God was always there, giving Jake relief when he was in distress.
Did David have any idea that the psalm he had penned would give comfort and peace to a little boy so many centuries later? No, but God did.
I remember your name in the night, O Lord Psalm 119:55
You can find more meditations on Psalm 4 at Light Came.
Reader Comments (4)
It's so wonderful when little children come to know the comfort and love of the Lord. What a sweet story!
Wonderful story, Kim! I love the last line..that David did not know the comfort the psalm he wrote would bring to Jake but God did. Yes, He surely did!
What a wonderful story!! Thank you for sharing that. I will definitely remember it for my little ones.
I need that verse in the night sometimes, still! Life can be scary, (and so very "daily"!), even for adults. My favorite "Jake at night" story is "It looked REAL". We come as little children, eh?
That's got to be my favorite Jake story, too.
Thanks for being such a wonderful sister; then and now.
Love you!