Psalm 4--Answer Me When I Call

Psalm 4
English Standard Version

Answer Me When I Call
To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.
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!

2 O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?
    How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah
3 But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself;
    the LORD hears when I call to him.

4 Be angry, and do not sin;
    ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah
5 Offer right sacrifices,
    and put your trust in the LORD.

6 There are many who say, “Who will show us some good?
    Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!”
7 You have put more joy in my heart
    than they have when their grain and wine abound.

8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
    for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

---

The Book of Psalms is also full of very transparent prayers that show us exactly how the Psalmist (usually David, but some others wrote some psalms as well) is feeling, but usually those feelings then juxtaposed against the truth of who God is in spite of how we feel.

In this Psalm we see David is in great distress, and he feels like his prayers are just bouncing off the ceiling.  Ever felt like that before?  Like your prayers aren't getting to God or somehow God's not hearing what you are trying to say?  David is discouraged that he has been put to shame, and that the people around him love "vain words" and "seek after lies."  It is at this point that we see David write an instruction to "pause and reflect."  Is that really the truth of the matter?  Is there more to reality than how we feel in the moment?  It seems there is as the tone shifts in the next stanza.

David reminds himself and those around him that the LORD has set apart the "godly" for Himself and has called them to be holy.  For this reason, David is certain that the LORD does hear him when he prays and calls out for help, even if David doesn't feel like it in the moment.  After the reminder of this indicative (who they are to be in God), David follows up with an imperative (what they should do in light of the charge of what they are to be).  He tells them to be angry, yet without sin. The second part of the command would seem to indicate to not go to bed angry as they should be "silent" when they lay down at night.  We see this command repeated for us in the New Testament in Ephesians 4:26.  Once again, David stops to pause and reflect here.


Ephesians 4:26-27
English Standard Version
26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil.

As he finishes this psalm, he encourages himself and these men around him who were not being the people who God had set them apart to be to offer right sacrifices to the LORD and to put their trust in the LORD (for the LORD does not desire the blood of bulls and goats if He does not first have your heart, and everyone must come to the LORD by faith).  David then asks that once they have made atonement and been put in right standing with the LORD that He once again show His favor and blessings to them--we see this phrase about turning His face towards them as an indication of this.  We also see Him tell His people in the Law that the abundance of their harvests would be a direct indication of His blessing for their obedience to who they were called to be in the Law.  The heavens would give rain and the earth would produce grain and grapes for them to make new wine.

David identifies the LORD as the source of his joy, which he can have even in the midst of trying times and circumstances.  He need not despair, for the LORD has not abandoned him.  He can sleep well at night and not live in fear of his enemies because the LORD is with him and is his Shield and Defender.  Those who trust in the LORD need not fear men, even though men threaten to do their worst, for as we have seen in the book of Job, no one gets to those who belong to the LORD without God allowing it.  Even when things look like God does not hear us or that God doesn't care about our petitions, we can be sure that He is "The God who See Me" and who knows my every thought and weakness and that Jesus is our Great High Priest who is making intercession on behalf of us to the Father ant that the Holy Spirit it interceding for us too when we can't even put our needs into words.