Peace

In a world of turmoil, peace can be hard to find, especially when it seems like everyone is against you.  Or even just one person, be it your boss, your husband, your wife, or even a friend you’ve been fighting with.

David certainly knew that feeling throughout his life, facing adversity from Saul and Absalom among others.

And so he cries out to God,

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.

How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame?  How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?  (Psalm 4:1-2)

Perhaps in the midst of his troubles, people were mocking his faith in God, saying, “God can’t deliver you from this…if there is a God.”

We face the same thing today, with people not only seeking false gods from other religions, but also the gods of money, sex, and power, among other things.

And they mock us for seeking after God, especially when they see the problems we sometimes go through.

But David tells his enemies,

Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD will hear when I call to him.  (Psalm 4:3)

In other words, “You may mock my faith, but I belong to him.  And you will see.  He will answer my prayers.”

He then tells himself and us who sometimes suffer mocking and hurt from others,

In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.  (Psalm 4:4)

It’s okay to be angry.  Jesus himself got angry sometimes.

But in our anger, we are to keep ourselves from sin.  We are to search our hearts and attitudes in silence before God, and ask him to purify us from anything that would stain our hearts.

Bitterness is one thing in particular that we need to guard against.  When we allow ourselves to become bitter, it spreads out into our lives like a cancer.  And so we need to ask God to take it out before it can do so.

He then says to offer right sacrifices and trust in the Lord.  It’s interesting to me that to Jesus, offering right sacrifices, or anything to the Lord for that matter, meant keeping right relationships.

He told us,

Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar.

First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.  (Matthew 5:23-24)

Sometimes people will hurt us, and though we make every effort to reconcile with them, they continue to hurt us.

In that case, we just need to put our trust in the Lord that he will deal with that person in his time.  Revenge has no place in our lives.

This is not to say that we shouldn’t keep our distance from those who hurt us.  David certainly kept his distance from Saul when Saul was trying to kill him.

But like David, we are not to harbor resentment or bitterness against those who hurt us.  Instead, we need to trust in God and put the situation and that person in his hands.

And don’t be like some who would doubt God’s goodness in the midst of trouble, but daily pray as David did,

Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD.  (Psalm 4:6)

Put another way, “Lord turn your face upon me.  Let me know that you’re here and you care.  Because when your light shines on me, ‘the things that surround become shadows in the light of you.'”

And when you have that attitude, God’s joy will fill you and like David you will say,

I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.  (Psalm 4:8)

How about you?  Do you know God’s peace today?