A Song in my Heart

"Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer. How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods ? Selah . Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD will hear when I call to him. In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent. Selah. Offer right sacrifices and trust in the LORD. Many are asking, "Who can show us any good?" Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD. You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety." Psalms 4:1-8

Today, I have a song in my heart. Most days I have a song that is playing in my mind throughout the day. David wrote a lot of songs in his Psalms. Whether we are rejoicing or grieving, God wants to hear our song. Even if it is a pitiful, woeful song, God listens and cares. As David’s words illustrate, the Lord wants our undivided attention. He requires of us to seek no false gods and no delusions. How often we are swayed by some fanciful consideration that causes us to stray into delusional thinking or even idolatry. I doubt seriously that any of us has any actual bronze, wood or graven images that we bow down to or make offerings to or seek for counsel. Yet we have many "mental idols" or "distracting little deities" that we spend more time, talent and treasures pursuing than the one true living God. That indeed is a shame that does not glorify God.

We sometimes lie in bed and contemplate and plot because we are frustrated or offended, hurt or angry about something we usually have no control over, and most often is really none of our business. David encourages us to trust the Lord and do what is right. Consider the greater joy of knowing Him, serving Him, and loving Him. Then all the petty worries and discouraging circumstances are put into perspective. Don’t get all flustered over the weather, the harvest, politics, sports, the mistakes of others, or the gloom doom projections of financial analyst or the "pie in the sky" rhetoric of fool hearty positivists either. Neither "Chicken Little" or "Pollyanna" were trusting God realistically.

Verse 8 sums up my sentiments completely. I sleep in peace when I realize that God alone provides my security. So I will endeavor this daily to live for Him, with gratefulness, resisting the temptations to let anything or anybody (especially me) get in the way of that.

Trusting in Him,
Pastor Fred

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