Confession, Faith, and Peace

Day 5:  Psalms 4:4-8

            Psalm 4:4 Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah 5 Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the LORD.

            Stand in awe and sin not. Lord, may Your awesome presence fill me, amaze me, purify me, but not destroy me. Let me be like Jacob who saw God and lived, like Moses, Elijah, the apostles, and Your men and women through the ages. Each of them saw You, were touched by You and were transformed by Your grace but not destroyed.

            Help me to be angry at my own sin and the sin of others, yet keep me from sin (Ephesians 4:26). The wrath of men does not achieve the righteousness of God (James 1:20).

            Help me lay aside the sin that so easily trips me up (Hebrews 12:1). Sin is evil, stupid, self-destructive, and harmful to others. It brings shame to Your name. Father, forgive me. Father, forgive us (Nehemiah 1:5-11).

            Help me be still before You and know that You are God (Psalm 46:10). Forgive me my rash promises. Help me live in Your righteousness. Help me be still and know You are God. 

            Let me offer the sacrifices of righteousness that You have prescribed. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart — these, O God, You will not despise (Psalm 51:17).

            Help me to love and obey You, O Lord. Help me truly trust You. Lord, I must still cry, “Help thou mine unbelief” (Mark 9:24). Help me trust You in times of peace and in times of war, in times of testing, and in times of victory. What times I am afraid, I will trust in You (Psalm 56:3).

            Psalm 4: 6 There are many who say, “Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!”

            Many people have despaired and called out, “Who will show us any good?” Yet, You, O Lord, have brought us through hurricanes, through attacks by many enemies, through our own failures onto solid ground. You have lifted me out of the miry clay and set my feet upon the solid ground (Psalm 40:2). For when others set themselves to do evil against us, You did not let us fall to our enemies.

            Sovereign Lord and King; show us the light of Your face. Let us rejoice in Your presence (Isaiah 9:3). You are our pearl of great price. You are our truest treasure, our exceedingly great reward (Genesis 15:1). Yes, You have supplied us with many of the pleasures of men, but You are our highest treasure.

            Be our greatest joy, love, peace, and delight. For my family, for our church, for all those who love You, whether they live in lands of peace or in war-torn regions of the world: May You, O Lord, be our chief delight (Psalm 37:4).

            Psalm 4:7 You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.

            Lord, You have made us glad in You in a way that those who do not know You cannot be, even when they have all the money and the food they need, more than in the time of their prosperity. You have blessed us with Your smile and Your favor. You are my highest treasure, my chief delight.

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

            I can lie down in peace knowing that You do all things well. I can sleep because You, O Lord, keep me and my family safe. In Your Sovereign hand, I have nothing to fear. What can others do to me? Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ (Romans 8:38-39).

            Thank You, O Lord for peace, for rest from my enemies, and for joy. Help me to be involved in Your building of Your kingdom. In Jesus’ name, Amen!