Psalm 4 - NKJV
1 Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
You have relieved me in my distress;
Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.
2 How long, O you sons of men,
Will you turn my glory to shame?
How long will you love worthlessness
And seek falsehood? Selah
3 But know that the LORD has set apart for Himself him who is godly;
The LORD will hear when I call to Him.
4 Be angry, and do not sin.
Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah
5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,
And put your trust in the LORD.
6 There are many who say,
“Who will show us any good?”
LORD, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us.
7 You have put gladness in my heart,
More than in the season that their grain and wine increased.
8 I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;
For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.
To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.
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It Is Hard To Sleep
When You Are Angry
What a guy David was. He know how to be real. He gets mad.
You will see that emotion all through the Psalms. There is nothing wrong with being angry.
Oh, don't tell me you thought it was wrong to ever get mad. No so. In fact,
I bet you did not realize that Paul was quoting from this Psalm in
Ephesians 4:26 when he said to believers,
"Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:"
David related this getting angry and spilling your guts to the Lord to the ability to get a good night's sleep.
Notice verse four, "Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still."
then again in verse eight "I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;"
Pent up anger and frustration account for many illnesses.
They are not exactly what we would call psychosomatic in the sense that they are "in your head." But
they are caused and irritated or made worse by a disturbed spirit. Your mind is a place God has said should be "still."
It should be a quiet place. How else would you get any sleep. Yet, many of us have minds that are in turmoil.
We worry, we fear, we are anxious, we fret, and fuss about this that and the other thing, none of which is in our power
to change. So what should be do? Do what David did. God was his friend. He told him everything. Pour out your soul
to the Lord, cry, scream, complain, gripe to him, then let it go. Commit it to the Lord and he will sustain you.
New King James Bible, Bible Gateway Index
Our Devotional Index
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