Psalm 4

I started this morning with a careful reading of Psalm 4. As always, I was reading attentively, looking for that word or phrase that would jump out at me. But this morning, it seemed as if every phrase was glimmering. So I read the Psalm again - savoring every line - turning it over in my mind. Five times I did this. I would encourage you to do the same.

And in the end, I kept coming back to three phrases. The first was in verse 2: "How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception?" It is a verse of conviction. It calls for self-examination. Forget the worrying trends in our nation - our love for lies - our devaluation of the truth. Focus on yourself. What do you love that is worthless? Upon what lies are you building your life? This verse calls for a close look at one's self.

The second phrase the had staying power was verse 7: "You have put gladness in my heart." It follows a question by the "many" who wonder why God will not show them more good and even greater blessings. I wondered whether those "many" were the same ones who loved what is worthless and aimed at deception.

Whether they are or not, the godly man testifies that God has put gladness in his heart. Here is a joy that is not dependent upon the circumstances of life. Here is a gladness that is not earned. Here is a gladness that comes directly from God. It is the gladness of those who trust in God's power and live by his hope. It is a gladness of life, of a new day. It is the gladness for cardinals at my bird feeder. It is the gladness of simple things like flowers and sunshine and rain. It is the gladness of morning and evening and noontime. It is a gladness that touches our faces and strengthens our hearts, and I pray that I might share in the testimony of the psalmist that God has put such gladness in my heart.

Finally, after I had closed my Bible, it was verse 4 that came back to me as I cooked breakfast. "Tremble, and do not sin; meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still." It was this verse, in the middle of the Psalm, that seemed to pull everything together for me. Which of us will not tremble when we contemplate the true greatness of our God? This is where our meditation must begin. On him. In him. And when I reorient my life and my thoughts around him - when I seek after those things that are worthy rather than worthless, when I seek after truth rather than lies, when I rejoice in the joy and gladness God gives me - then I find my feet, my hands, my head, my day on the right path.

"Tremble and do not sin."