The Grace of God experienced through the Word of God

Ps 4:1-8, (KJV)

1 Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.

How comforting it is to know that in this Psalm, our suffering is pointed out to be enlarging us. We have the answer as to why God orders suffering in our lives. In our carnal nature, we want to avoid suffering as much as possible, but yet this verse encourages us in our suffering. Reminds us of Romans 8:28.

2 O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah.

All in verse 2 is done by us in our natural state before the Lord revealed Himself to us. The bible tells us that for some, their glory is their shame. Vanity is very tiring, as it uses up a lot of energy, as this is something that has to be maintained. Keeping up with the Joneses so to speak. Such things are unprofitable for the child of God, as everything that they "need" is found in the God of all Grace. In the last part of the verse, leasing or lying is spoken about. The truth that we need and have is all contained in the Word of God. We need not waste our energies on things that are not of the truth.

3 But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him.

We see here how God is in control of His creation. He sets apart him that is godly for Himself. The implication from other scriptures reading this through New Testament eyes is that God makes the person godly through His particular electing choice which by is free grace. The Lord delights to hear His own, because He handpicked them for Himself. What a wonderful thought.

4 Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.

The more control the Spirit takes of our lives, the more our lives will line up with the will of God. God causes us to desire more of Him through His Holy Spirit. For who God is and for what He has done in our lives, we stand in awe at such a majestic and perfect God, who is great in ALL His ways. We are invited to commune in our hearts with this awesome God, who WILL meat our needs according to His riches in glory. We are to be still, so that He can speak to us His Word, and be comforted by Him in our distresses.

5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.

We offer up to God His righteousness, as this is perfect righteousness, remembering that even the good that we do is tainted with sin.
We are invited to place our trust in Him. We need to place our whole weight on Him. God needs to be our first port of call when we have a difficult situation to deal with in our lives. God has all the answers. God is the answer. All things work together for good for His children.

6 There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.

There are many voices in this world that will say all sorts of things to us, and sometimes there will be no good to come from there, but we believe in a supernatural God, who is above all principalities and powers. He has ALL the solutions for whatever you are facing right now.
The last part of the verse shows our need for the light of the Lord's countenance upon us. The light of His countenance gives us the truth we need to be able to face the world in whatever we are facing, whether it is work issues, health, marriage or other life issues.

7 Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased.

This verse is such a blessing to us when we are down in our spirits, because the Lord always delivers on His promises. His promises are yea and amen! God does put gladness in our hearts even when the situation can be dire. It is the work of the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit.

8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.

By the end of this Psalm, the writer has a peace that goes beyond all understanding. We see in this verse
that the Lord makes the writer dwell in safety. The same is true of us. We have a safety in Him that goes beyond the natural into the supernatural. We praise God for His love and grace bestowed upon us.
Amen!