Answer me when I call O God of righteousness!
You have relieved me in my distress
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer
David lived within calling distance from God. In time of need he lifted his supplications to God. He recognized that out of distress good could come. "You have freed me when I was hemmed in and enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me and hear my prayer" (Amplified.) God allowed David to be in distress for He wanted to make him a bigger man for bigger tasks.
God had set apart David for His own. "But know that the Lord had set upon Him that is godly for himself"(Ps 4:3). God has set us apart, too, for Himself, not because of who we are, or what we are, but because of what we can become in Christ.
David could have become bitter, thinking of his foes. Instead, he said, "Stand in awe, and sin not; commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be STILL" (v.4). As he became still within, he could hear God's gentle whisperings to him during the night watches.
David recognized the security of trusting the Lord. "Put your trust in the Lord" (v. 5). People may forsake you, circumstances may change. But God never forsakes. We can trust him at ALL times.
Inspite of his troubles. David experienced a SATISFIED HEART. One filled with God-given gladness. "Yes, the gladness you have given me is far greater than their joys at harvest time as they gaze upon their bountiful crops" (Ps 4:7, LB). Too often we look for joy and gladness in prosperity. But the gladness David wrote about had its source in God. It is "more than" gladness in the midst of trials, a gladness dependent on God.
Regardless of our problems today, our hearts can be filled with a God - given gladness that completely satisfies.
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excerpt from the book:
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