An Evening Prayer

"Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!" Ps:4:1

Many times in this life we feel pressed upon by circumstances  or even by people, there are times
when the pressures brought to bear on us might be excruciating.

It is in these times that we call out to God in our anguish and frustration, pleading for deliverance and asking God for his help.

It seems, to us, from our limited earthy vantage point that God is not responding to us, we can be come disheartened. It is however in these times and high pressure situations  that we should trust in the providence of God and learn to rest in him.

Evening Prayer

King David faced many challenges in his life, before and after he ascended the throne of Israel, he wrote Psalm 4, some times titled an "Evening Prayer". David composed this Psalm during a time of great stress in his life. This Psalm is as if David had gone to the Lord at the end of a very trying day and calls out to God asking for the Lord to intervene and set to right  what he was facing.

David sought relief and repose from the problem by going to God. David acknowledges the very grace of God and affirms  his dependence and need in the Lord alone.

 "You have relieved me in my distress;
            Be gracious to me and hear my prayer."(1b)

David maybe asking God to overlook and pardon a sin due to his reaction in the face of what he was confronting. 

 Facing Challenges

Apparently David's opponents had lunched a campaign of slander and misrepresentation regarding him and his honor, which in the culture of  David's time honor was a a valuable commodity in the life of a man, to have one's honor besmirched was a serious challenge.

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

   David knew the true motivation of the ones who were attempting to destroy his reputation, he understood that they had an agenda they were following , in which they employed deceptive means in an attempt to accomplishing their goals and David was in their way and they wanted him removed or rendered powerless to stop them thru diminishing him in the eyes of  people around him.

    "How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception?"(2)

 As David calls out to the Lord God, he begin to gain a calm that comes forth only from God's staying power in his life, he enters into a prayerful dialogue with the Lord, and the realization that it is God who sustains him in spite of the clever attacks and subtle and overt slander of his opponents.

David reminds himself of the ever-present reality of God in his life and that he knows that his prayer is received on high.

" But know that the LORD has set apart the godly man for Himself;
            The LORD hears when I call to Him." (3)

The Lord Speaks

It is after David begins to regain perspective and is led to see God's  gracious support in his life that the Lord himself address David in the word's of Psalm counseling him to avoid sinning due to fear or doubt.  

The Lord tells David to be at rest and consider his past experiences with God, that Lord has always delivered David from his enemies and he will during this time of trail as well regardless of  opponents efforts to manipulate public opinion or dishonor David .

"Tremble, and do not sin;
            Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still." (4)

The Lord, rather gives David the simple instructions to follow the Lord and trust that God will set to right all that has come against David and to maintain his personal integrity in all his dealings.

     "Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,
            And trust in the LORD." (5)

Cynics?

It may well be,  that due to the efforts of David's detractors in tarnishing his reputation,   many became disillusioned with David and uncertain of his leadership among them. They begin to ask if there is any thing good and honorable in the land of Israel.They have become cynical and jaded toward David.

"Many are saying, “Who will show us any good?” (6a)
            

 In response to this cynical query , David's prayer is to ask God to let the truth be known and the favor of the Lord to descend upon him and those around him that all will come to see thru the slander and misrepresentations,  regardless of how clever they have been spun. 

 "Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O LORD!"(6b)

David is asking the Lord to let the light of God's truth to shine into the situation and to dispel the darkness of slander and misinformation generated by his adversaries that all might know that David has God's favor .

Gladness in the Heart

As David has addressed the problem with his God , his heart is filled with the gladness  of God; thru knowing that God will deal with what concerns him , and that truth will prevail and David will himself not , only be sustained but  will have his honor restored and will be publicly vindicated. This far out weighs what ever gains his opponents believe they have achieved against David, their efforts will bear little fruit.

"You have put gladness in my heart,
            More than when their grain and new wine abound."(7)

In God Alone

As David concludes his evening prayer,  he can now be at peace and rest in the security  of God's grace and sustaining providence. David knows that God is with him and that no power or work of adversaries , seen or unseen,  will prevail against him. David can trust in his God, he can leave the matter to God the light of God truth will dispel the darkness of lies. David is at peace; he knows that he can dwell in safety he need not have undue stress.

"In peace I will both lie down and sleep,
            For You alone, O LORD, make me to dwell in safety."(8)

Lesson for Us

All Christians will have detractors and critics , some times they will be others Christians, but  no matter who they are or what their agenda is which drives them , no matter how they attempt to dishonor or damage the reputation of a Christian,  we can rest and trust in the gracious providence of  our Lord Jesus Christ to sustain us and see to us. 

It is important to grasp who the real adversary is behind such attempts to dishonor Christians and  who engages in slander and accusations against us.

 "For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night," Rev:12:10c

 Satan is the trues sources of slanders  and attempts to dishonor Christians in the eyes of the those around us and even in the eyes of other Christians. When this occurs in our lives, we should follow the divine advice,  which the Lord spoke to David , that we should not "sin" that is give into the carnal desire to lash out and and take matters into our own hands, but rather , we should; "Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,  And trust in the LORD." as David did long ago.

 We need to consider the words  of the Apostle Paul, to Christians at Rome two thousand years ago, but these words are for all Christians down thru the ages, for us today.

"If God is for us, who can be against us?" Rm:8:31

David came to see this truth and  resolved to rely upon the Lord, and so can we today no matter what we face or regardless of what mask our adversary might adorn himself, we can trust our Lord to set things right on our behalf.

 

Let our evening prayer be one which issues forth from a heart filled with gladness of God as we trust in him to set all things right so we might declare in our Evening Prayer, as David did.

"In peace I will both lie down and sleep,
            For You alone, O LORD, make me to dwell in safety." Ps:4:8.. Amen.

Rev. Todd Crouch, Pastor 

The Fountain of Life Church a Congregation of Grace Communion
2101 Old National Pike.

Washington, Pennsylvania.   www.gcfountainoflife.org

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