Remember that Discussion about Form over Function?

The idea is NOT to have the "form" over the "function." Here's a humorous example of form over function. And if you are wondering, "what is he talking about" click here for the blog on "form over function."

Psalms for the Simple: Psalm 4 (4/150)

It has been sporadic in the posting of these blogs. In this case, that is a good thing.  Currently I'm in process of planting a Harvest Bible Chapel in Spring Lake, MI.  We are opening in 3 weeks and the final buttons being buttoned up are taking up a lot of my time and energy. Again, this is a good thing. I'm so blessed and excited to be apart of where God is moving, and He IS moving in a powerful way right now in the process of this church plant.  I'm sure there will be more on this later, but in the meantime, I want to experience Psalm 4 with you all. 

In my bible, the title of this psalm is written: Answer me when I call. To me that sounds a little brash. It sounds like David is a little angry? Who is David that he should demand the Lord to Answer him? Isn't that rude? We get a little insight to why he uses this kind of "demanding sounding" speech when opening this psalm in vs 1.

 "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!" 

When David seems to demand an answer, he's rather declaring what he has experienced and knows God to do in the past and is declaring it to his future and present situation! When, in the middle of that verse, he says, "You HAVE given me relief..." the word "have" is a past-tense AS WELL as a present tense word. If I have a car, it implies that I've had that car for at least as long in the past as it took before I was able to say that I currently "have" it.

Apply this now to David and his circumstance. He is not saying, "Answer me Lord right now or else..." Rather it's as if he was saying, "I know you will answer my prayer because of how faithful you are to me all the time, and it will be no different for this circumstance in my life, so i'm going to declare it and say, "Answer me when i call."" 

I might be thinking that I'm trying to pull too much out of this, but it is a great principle even applied to our lives! Think of it this way. When striving and pursuing the heart and will of God, we know in Romans 8:28 that ALL things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.  If we understand that, we should know well enough to know that God WILL be faithful, and answer our prayers. His answer to our prayer may not be what we expected, but in hindsight, have you ever seen how God answers prayer in a way we didn't expect and it ended up with greater benefit for HIS purpose in our lives? If we know that God is truly faithful, which HE IS, we should know that we can thus declare His forthcoming answer to our prayers knowing that it is truly for our ultimate good and for His glory! 

The rest of this Psalm is packed full of truth that can be applied to our lives. Let's look briefly at vs 2-8.  It starts with David's question, (paraphrased in my own words, read it for yourself) "How long will what I know is right be looked on from the world as foolishness?" You will find that in your walk with Christ as head in your life, the world will look back at you and say, "what a fool..." We're given a little more insight into this fact in 1Corinthians 1:18-19 "For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  For it is written, (quoting from Isa 29:14) "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.""

If you are truly living in a matter worthy of the call of Christ Jesus, expect to be ridiculed by the world for it. But at the same time, be encouraged by David's words and response to when this happens, (back to psalm 4:4). "Be angry, and do not sin;" and goes on to say "trust in the Lord" and THEN goes on to say something that is AWESOME and true: "You have put more join in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound." 

Briefly, holy anger is defined in this passage: "be angry, and do not sin." It's vague, I know, but for a reason. Paul uses this same verse in Ephesians 4:25.  We can be upset about the injustice in this world, because it is the holy anger of the Lord in us against sin that we are feeling. But we MUST remember to put our trust in the Lord and realize that vengeance is HIS not ours (Heb 10:30-31). 

Lastly, Joy and Peace are a result of what we just discussed. If we are to declare the Lord's faithfulness to our situation and trust him in the midst of our trials and circumstance, then vs 7 and 8 become a reality. We will not look upon those with wealth and money and think they are more joyful, because the Lord puts more joy in our hearts than money or wealthy could possibly even scratch the surface of. And immediately following that: Peace! We are given peace and a confidence of safety (vs 8) because the Lord is who we put our trust in and he preserves his children in faithfulness. 

I don't know what you're going through right now, but maybe this was a word from the Lord to you: "Be angry, but DO NOT SIN, allow me to take the vengeance, and yes, there will be vengeance. I am faithful and you need to trust in me and I will bless you with Joy abundantly and peace to get you through your days." 

Prayer:

Father, we are humbled again as you break down our pride when we try to seek our own vengeance on our situation. Help us to declare your faithfulness and your forthcoming answers to our prayer of deliverance! Keep us pure and worthy of the call you put before us in Christ Jesus. Guide us in your truth and keep us on the path of your righteousness! Thank you for the Joy you've put in my life, and help me to embrace it. Thank you for the peace you've given me to last in the midst of what we go through. To YOU be honor and glory and power and strength; not me. We bless you and pray for strength and endurance in the pressures and hardships of this life. We pray, empowered by your Holy Spirit and in the matchless name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, Amen!