Psalm 4:3-8 Stand in Awe

Psalm 4:3-8

. . . The Lord will hear when I call unto him. Stand in awe, and; commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Offer sacrifice of righteousness and put your trust in the Lord. . . . Lord, lift up the light of thy countenance upon us. Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased. I will lay me down in peace, and sleep, for thou, Lord, only make us me dwell in safety.

This song is a testimony more than a pleading for help. It is obvious that the writer has had some past spiritual experiences that have allowed him to face a current situation with faith and hope.

There are two particular phrases that I find remarkable. In verse 7  the writer says that the joy he feels in his heart comes from the Lord and is greater than all the choice of worldly prosperity. 

It is easy to get spiritually lazy in times of comfort, isn't it? We have busy lives and rush off in the morning without reading our scriptures and saying our prayers or we do them with little thought or meaning. We can also just be having so much fun enjoying life and the beauty of it that we forget the Maker of it all. This Psalm reminds us that once we truly know God and have experienced His love in our lives, there is a joy that exceeds all else. No wonder he uses the phrase "Stand in awe" back in verse 4. The writer himself stands in awe of God.

The second phrase that I like is in verse 8. "For thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in peace."

I struggle with both grief and depression after my divorce as I have said elsewhere. There was a terrible spiritual void in my life. I thought that just talking to caring friends and family would bring peace and that helped momentarily. But ultimately I was alone and I had to find peace in my loneliness.

It was when I finally stop being angry at the Lord and humbled myself and asked for help that my life begin to change. The problems were still there but I experienced a love and warmth in those moments of humble prayer that changed me. I found God. I experienced Him and knew He was with me. I changed inwardly and knew I was going to be okay. "For thou, Lord, ONLY makest me to dwell in safety."

Of course we need our friends and family. But they cannot give us a testimony of God and of the power of His love in our lives. That piece we have to do ourselves. 

There is a video that the church has recently done that talks about dance and music. It is called The Music of the Gospel. It likens the dance - doing the steps of the dance - to living the Gospel. We can go through the motions of the dance without the music being turned on but oh, what a difference there is when the music starts and your body responds to the beat, the temple, the

So it is with the Gospel. We can go through the motions of living gospel principles and never feel the music - never recognize this Spirit, never feel God's love.

If I had life to live over again, I would spend everyday helping my kids feel the gospel rather than just know it. I would rather help them experience a tender moment and help them understand how the Spirit touches our hearts than memorize the Articles of Faith or the names of the prophets.

We used to lay outside on a summer night identifying the constellations but did I bear testimony of the One who created them and help my kids to marvel at His creation?

I fear I taught the dance steps without the music even though I loved it. I fear I loved it more in my mind then in my heart or at least didn't know how to express my heart. I would speak more of love and joy in living the Gospel and of Jesus' love for us. I would add as much music as I could because joy and peace come with the music!