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PSALM 4 - Spiritual Journey From The Beginning To The End Of The Psalm

by Deborrah K Ogans⁽¹⁴⁾
Alpha 7 Ministries

The Psalms are a marvelous reservoir of awe – inspiring wisdom ! Here we can find comfort, strength and encouragement as we spend time enjoying this brilliant Word of God! The Word is also here to teach us right from wrong and convict us of anything that causes us to err from the less traveled narrow path that the Lord has designated for us as believers. The wide road beckons us daily. We must learn to discern between the two.

It is important to spend time daily developing your ongoing personal intimate relationship with the Lord. This way whenever a trial, test or situation arises you are cognizant of His presence. You now have vested time in prayer and meditation. The benefits are ever unfolding. You are then able to draw from the wealth of wisdom that has been placed in you by His Holy Spirit as needed! We can place our confidence in the Lord and rejoice in His protection and peace!

David knew that he could call upon the Lord to help Him! He knew that He would answer his prayers. This is a wonderful example of the type of relationship we want to have with the Lord! David had a heart for the Lord. The Word teaches us that he was “a man after God’s heart...” I Samuel 13.

Saul was a powerful king at one time. He was (30) thirty years old when he became king and ruled over Israel for over (42) forty –two years. However he allowed his pride to get the best of him. He compromised godly principles for fame and power! This tore his family and the nation of Israel apart.

The prophet Samuel was an anointed man of God and was actually the one who anointed Saul. A mixture of olive oil, myrrh and expensive spices were poured over his head. This symbolized the power and presence of the Holy Spirit of God in His life! The ceremony was to remind him of his responsibility to lead God’s people wisely! It was not so he could do as he pleased!

In Saul’s early years he was obedient to the call of the Lord on His life. It was evident and he prospered greatly in every way. But as he grew older he allowed his pride to lead him. We as believers must always keep in mind that our first obligation should always be to seek the Lord’s direction in our lives above all else.

In this 21 st century many are rejecting the Word of God and going the way of the world. No doubt that we all have been impacted one way or another by everything that is going on about us. However we must remain or become focused on the Lord! He will in His time work everything together for the GOOD! Here from Saul we can learn and invaluable life lesson of what happens when we push the Word of God aside an embrace the ways of man… This is true regardless of your station in life. God was the children of Israel’s King but they wanted to be like everyone else! Therefore God allowed Saul to become king.

We must be careful not to reject the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We must allow the Lord His place in our lives! What is so marvelously beautiful about the Lord is He avails us the freedom to choose! Imagine wanting a human being over The Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent God! Today it is important to be aware of the spiritual warfare that is designed to pull you away from the Lord and embrace worldly concepts and practices. Throughout the history of man this has been the case and continues to be so… We can learn so much from these magnificent Psalms. It is important that we do not push God aside but rather embrace His Divine and inspired Word that is supposed to be our “Life Manual.”

King Saul who once embraced David became jealous of him… David’s son Absalom rebelled against him and even gathered an army against him. David knew that despite all that was happening in his life he could always TRUST GOD! He put his FAITH into practice! Here in this Psalm He confidently, earnestly and vociferously calls out to the Lord!

Evening Prayer For Deliverance By King David David is a man that truly knows and loves the Lord! He honored worshipped and praised the Lord! He gathered the finest materials possible in preparation for his son Solomon, in order to build a grand magnificent Temple to the Lord. Mount Moriah was the Holy Hill upon which David’s son Solomon eventually built the Temple. (II Chronicles 2.)

David earnestly and fervently calls out to the Lord in his distress in this Psalm! He petitions the Lord to have mercy upon him, the situation that was upon him weighed heavily upon his heart. Time after time we can see in the Scriptures when David called upon the Lord; and the LORD answered his prayers. It is the posture of our hearts the Lord is more concerned with rather than our physical posture. He knows what is in our hearts as well as our intentions. We must be willing to submit ourselves to His Will and His Way!

The Word tells us to humble ourselves before the Lord if we want to hear from Him. “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.”

We cannot confine God to a space or place. He is Omnipresent which means He is everywhere all the time forever. However He does not force Himself into our lives, we must invite Him into our lives daily. As believers when we confess Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord He comes to reside within us. Our bodies become a living Temple where His Holy Spirit resides! As we grow in His grace and knowledge our understanding is opened. We gradually learn and understand more and more the endless profound deepness of the Word of God! We must ponder and meditate on His Word and ask Him to illuminate His Word, give us clarity and open our spiritual eyes so we can better comprehend His Word! We must apply what we learn to our own lives as well…

Living for the LORD We must begin to live on a deeper level and not compromise His principles for the sake of being accepted. As we put into practice what we learn it becomes a part of who we are. Sin separates us from God! Therefore we must be willing to readily admit when we are wrong and move forward in the Lord. In of our selves we are subject to falter but through His Holy Spirit as we discipline ourselves we can rise to the occasion.

We are taught in the Word we are to offer our lives to Him! Romans 12. “Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices to God - this is your spiritual – act of worship. Do not no longer conform to the pattern of this world , but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s Will is – HIS GOOD, pleasing and perfect WILL.“ What is so GREAT about the LORD is; It is never too late, you can start where you are today and commit or recommit to HIS WILL and HIS WAY in your life. This does not mean that everything will go the way you want. But it does mean that you are repositioning yourself closer to Him so that you can better hear Him! You desire to walk with Him daily...

Just as David and others were set apart for the Lord, you can be too! All of your life experiences are open and bare to the Lord regardless of who you are, where you have been, and what you have done, what you are going through or what you will go through! He KNOWS! “ God is not a respecter of persons!” Acts 10. The Lord can transform your life through Jesus Christ! When you become His child He can renew your mind… He can driect you path!

In the Old Testament the priest would sacrifice living sacrifices to the Lord to atone for his sins and the sins of the people… Jesus Christ was the ultimate sacrifice! When He gave up His life for us on the cross He fulfilled the need of offering sacrifices upon the altar! Now God wants us to offer up our very lives to Him as living sacrifices! When we do this we demonstrate that we are Thankful for His forgiveness and we want to honor Him by walking in obedience to His Word!

The Lord has a plan for each of our lives! He wants the best for us! Since He created us He certainly knows what is best for us! Don’t just take my word for it! Spend some time getting to KNOW Him through His Word For yourself. We can attain healthy self esteem through an ongoing growing relationship with the Lord. This supersedes any other relationship and will actually enhance your marriage as well as all other relationships.... Having God in your life will give your life purpose and meaning. Through Jesus Christ we are somebody!

Prayer is communication with the Lord! As His child when you pray you can be confident that He hears your prayers! TRUST GOD! Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for Himself; the LORD will hear when I call.”

Dealing with Anger Anger is a necessary emotion. It alerts us that something is not right! How we express our anger is important. It is imperative that we learn how to favorably control our anger rather than react impulsively. Anger can cause one to become resentful and result in depression. Depression is anger turned inwardly! We can learn from Saul. He became resentful of David and it cost him his kingdom. He was left with a tormenting spirit… It is important to express anger rather than suppress your anger. Self control which is a part of the Fruit of God’s Spirit is most helpful here. It teaches you how to properly control your actions! See Galatians 5.

The Word actually tells us that “ We can be angry and sin not…” Ephesians 4. How often do you hear someone say “I am not perfect!” This is true no one is perfect in the sense of being sinless or flawlessness. But we must not continue to use this as an excuse for our shortcomings or behaviors. It is far better to confess and own up to any behavior that is contrary to the Word of God. We should regularly take personal inventory and see if we are progressing. God accepts us as we are but does not intend for us to stay as we are. Spiritual growth is an ongoing process we are constantly in the need of renewal and being spiritually renewed by His Holy Spirit. Transformation is an ongoing process! Becoming perfect in the spiritual sense means to be “complete” in the LORD!

Did you know that anger impacts your health? You can get high blood pressure or possibly suffer from a stroke and many othere sicknesses or diseases. It is important for us to develop better coping skills. We can always improve upon who we are and this is an ongoing process for us all. The Word does not tell us that we are not to be angry! It does tell us how to handle our anger! Don’t allow it to fester or go to bed angry… Take some time and think about this! You know if you get angry quickly. The Word tells us when you are angry you leave the door open for satan... this is how he comes in and divides and… Perhaps you say it’s too late to change? Oh well guess what? You have just closed the door to allow change to begin... It is wonderful and comforting to know we can always call upon the Lord to help us in a moment of anger. Begin to see yourself growing in the Lord and moving onward and upward to a better healthier GOD centered life!

We ALL need Jesus Christ as our personal Savior! We can have the spiritually abundant life that Jesus Christ died for upon the cross! He has the POWER to transform us! As we submit to Him we grow stronger spiritually and become wiser. The Fruit of His Spirit begins to grow and flourish in our lives. As the ultimate parent our Heavenly Father wants us to experience the Joy of having Him in our lives! He has provided His Comforter which is His Holy Spirit to help us... Start right where you are today! Take the time to spend time with Him and offer up your life to Him! He loves you and has a plan for your life just for you! As we exercise discipline we honor him by embracing His principles. We can REJOICE in the protection of the Lord when walking in obedience! Here in these excellent, compelling, spectacular Psalms we can learn so much about how to improve our behavior! In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent. Offer sacrifices and TRUST in the LORD.”

This Psalm concludes saying: “I will lie down and sleep in PEACE, for You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.”

Article submitted Saturday, November 05, 2011 & read 200 times.

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