Tim’s Daily Bread Devotional 4.14.22

By April 14, 2022Daily Bread

Good morning!

I hope this day finds you and your family well. I invite you to take a few moments with me to read and reflect upon today’s scripture selection — and to carry these thoughts with you into your day.

Today’s Scripture: Psalm 4:4-8

I will both lie down and sleep in peace;
for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety.

 

Tim’s Devotional Reflection for Today

Verse 6 of today’s reading shows that the writing of Psalm 4 was during a time of trouble when many people were distressed:  “There are many who say, ‘O that we might see some good!  Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord!’”

Yet, the psalm speaks of peace and security in God. This has certainly been a theme for many of us in difficult seasons of our lives. We may not have used the same words, but at some point we have all said, in one way or another, “O that we might see some good!”

The psalmist says, “When you are disturbed, do not sin.” (NRSV)  The word translated “disturbed” in the NRSV can be translated “angry” or “afraid.” It is also sometimes translated “trembling,” so “shaking with fear” or “shaking with anger” would also capture the thought and mood of this passage.

Have you experienced moments when you were “shaking with fear” or “shaking with anger?” The warning in verse four is that we can so easily sin when we are experiencing those powerful emotions.

Acting purely out of fear or anger can cause great harm.  Speaking — or, Lord help us, tweeting — without thinking first can be terribly destructive. So, the advice of the psalm is sleep on it: “ponder is on your beds and be silent.”

That image of sleep appears again in verse 8: ” I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety.”  It is the presence of God that brings peace, assurance, and the reminder of who we are, who God is, and how we are to respond to our circumstances.

 

Hymn: “Lead Me, Lord”

Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1861)

Lead me, Lord, lead me in thy righteousness;
make thy way plain before my face.
For it is thou, Lord, thou, Lord only,
that makest me dwell in safety.

Teach me, Lord, teach me truly how to live,
that I may come to know……. thee,
and in thy presence serve thee with gladness,
and sing songs of praise to thy glory.

Thank you for sharing this moment of your day with me, with God, and with these reflections on a portion of scripture.  I hope you will carry these with you throughout your day and night.

Grace and Peace,


Dr. Tim Bruster
Senior Pastor