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Psalm 4 - SL

Answer Me When I Call - A Plea, a Desperation, a Hope, a Proclamation


4:1c "Be gracious to me and hear my prayer"
V.3 - I know I am set apart, and God chose me to be within Him. Thus, know that God hears me when I call. - So many lessons here - this verse is not simply a reminder. It is speaking truth and is a declaration. What a statement to say that the Lord hears when I call! It means I must keep calling on him. I must believe and trust that I am, and have been, set apart. (v.5)

V.7 - This becomes more real for me as of late. There are times that I try to find solace in food… whether fast food (like burgers), beer and scotch, candy and chips, or even not eating. Sometimes, it is easier to eat to feel satisfied or to eat to avoid sins (porn), than it is to stop all things, create space, and spend time with God and the Word. Yet, undeniably, God has done many many many wonders, miracles, and actions in my life that have filled me with joy and still bring up joy. I think I need help with how to recognize these joys in my daily life, even if it isn’t happening at this moment, so that I don’t replace God’s joy with eating.

Verse 1c: Have mercy on me or Be gracious to me. This portion is the greatest take away for me. I feel this to my core. I want to say that… what to say it means I must do so. I must pray and cry out to God. The reason why I titled this “A Plea, a Desperation, a Hope, a Proclamation” is two-fold, because I see this as the progression of this Psalm as well as my own feelings rising after reading through it. It really does feel like all of those 4 things.  

In the midst of this funky season I’m in, where I am wrestling with where I am compared to my idea of an adult and a biblical man, Psalm 4 verse 1 does a fairly good representation of where I am. Instead of offering right sacrifices and trusting God, instead of calling out to Him continually, and instead of seeking peace, I think I only seem to ask God to answer my prayer and that’s it. I’m grateful that I can this accountability to rest on for support, and that I am doing this devotional because of the brotherhood we want to create!

(Are we ending these with prayers to share?)
Often times, songs of praise and worship come to me as I want to pray and that match with where I am or what I need to pray. The songs that speak truth and that I am praying are:
The Struggle - Tenth Avenue North  - - - - Hallelujah We are Free to Struggle, We're not Struggling to be Free
Freedom - Bethel - - - - Where the Spirit of the Lord is, There is Freedom

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