Principles for a God-pleasing reaction when things are in a mess
By Dean Collins
It’s not just the boss that wants you to answer when she calls; it’s all of us. We are a culture that wants everyone to respond immediately. Letter writing wasn’t fast enough, so we developed the phone. Land lines didn’t help when we traveled and needed to talk or get help, so we invented the cell phone. And then there is email, which now seems too slow, so we text each other. It doesn’t matter if the matter isn’t pressing (and so many of our texts aren’t about anything really urgent); we still want a quick response.
But sometimes things are truly in a mess. Sometimes we do need help, now. Sometimes people don’t believe you or believe in you; sometimes they even lie about you. This is what has happened to King David when he wrote Psalm 4. And his words offer another way to approach the challenges that do or seem to need immediate attention.
Talk to God first
Before David addressed his doubters or adversaries, he prayed. And he addressed God with some intense emotion: “Answer me when I call....”
That is not how I usually start a conversation. The words betray a tone that often gets the opposite effect with your friend, your colleagues, and especially your spouse! But David had learned that God wants us to come to him expecting him to lean in to our needs. Others may pull back, but not our Heavenly Father. He is ready to help. I think he likes it when we come to him with eagerness and intense desires for his help.
Respond carefully
After soliciting God’s help, then David addressed the ones who spoke negatively about him. “ O Men, how long shall my honor be turned to shame”? David is frustrated with the constant character attacks. Apparently the king’s opposers got a bit nasty with their words. I don’t have to remind any of you how mean people get when their politics are questioned. It will take us awhile to cleanse our minds of all the recent negative talk.
It will take us awhile to cleanse our minds of all the recent negative talk.
David makes a really good suggestion: “ Be angry [or as some translations render it, “be agitated”] but do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent .“ It’s okay to get stirred up but take a breath and count to four like Daniel Tiger suggests! ( I have grandkids, so I know things.) How much better might conversations go if we talked with God first and then, before we angrily spout off, ponder our emotions and thoughts before we speak?
But the resolution to the problem most likely comes by following David’s next step.
Trust God
“Offer right sacrifices and put your trust in the Lord,” says David. How much better would our conversations go if we first got ourselves right with God and trusted him more than self or others.
David acknowledged that some may ask if any good can come to us. Can anyone do good? And the answer, again from David, is that we lift our face upward to God who both illuminates and gives joy. And not just a little joy but more joy than the happiness of the one who lives in abundance. God will provide our needs and, on top of all that, he will make it possible to lie down and sleep! And wouldn’t we all do a little better with each other if we turned off the late-night TV, ended the day with a prayer, and got some sleep?!
Let’s be urgent and expectant with our prayer. And then we can take a breath and be patient, even kind, as we deal with each other.
Your time with God’s Word
Psalm 4:1-8 ESV
Photo by Nik Shuliahin on Unsplash
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