Rev. David Holwick
First Baptist Church
West Lafayette, Ohio
October 6, 1985
Peace for Communion
Psalm 4, KJV
How do you react when you are anxious? Most of us try to hide it.
Let's say your supervisor treats you like the scum of Lake Erie...your wife tells you she's leaving for good after payday...and your doctor tells you you have an incurable disease. A buddy walks by and says, "Joe, how's it going?" You are going to say, "Great!" (Thumbs up signal).
You can fool your buddies. It's usually not hard at all. You can even fool those who are closest and dearest to you. But you can't fool yourself. One of the most vulnerable times for any person is when you're by yourself at night. If you are tense and surrounded by problems, nighttime can seem endless.
It's estimated that one out of five Americans has trouble falling asleep, and tension in our lives is a big reason. One solution is to take sleeping pills. But these have two drawbacks; for one thing, you become used to them or even addicted. For another, they don't work. Experts have found that sleeping pills make you feel drowsy but once you are asleep they wear off and there is a rebound effect that actually wakes you in the middle of the night.
If you don't like pills, there is another possibility and it is the one taken by King David. Verse 8 shows that David wrote Psalm 4 at night when he prayed before going asleep. Many scholars think we can also pinpoint the period in his life. This is because Psalm 3 has several ties with Psalm 4. In both Psalms he is opposed by many people who mock his faith. Psalm 3:5 is a close parallel to Psalm 4:8 except that it focuses on the morning instead of just the night. If both psalms are from the same period then the title for Psalm 3 applies to both:
They were written when King David was running for his life because his own son Absalom had taken over the kingdom. Very few of us ever face this kind of reversal. In one night David went from being the most powerful king in the Middle East, to being a fugitive with a handful of followers. He lost his family, his wealth and position, and his personal safety. According to the psalm, even his friends weren't much encouragement.
David begins by pleading with God to hear his prayer. Two facts give David confidence when he prays. First, he has a personal relationship with God. Notice how he addresses him as the God of my righteousness. Righteousness is not something you come up with on your own. If you could, you wouldn't need God to begin with. You would just pray to yourself. But Romans 3:10 says:
"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one."
On Communion Sunday a lot of people come to church with "the guilties." In their hearts they know they are not fit to take the Lord's Supper. Actually, no one is. If you think long enough, like twenty seconds, you can come up with a good reason why you shouldn't take it.
The only thing that makes us acceptable for taking communion is the righteousness God gives us. Communion is not for perfect people. Just forgiven ones. The only reason you should not take it is if you have not been born again, or if there is a sin or broken relationship in your life you are not willing to settle with God. It these are true, let it pass by.
A personal relationship with God gives David confidence. So does the way God has dealt with him in the past. He says of God:
"You have enlarged me when I was in distress."
This expression means that when David was in tight situations in the past, God give him room, or breathing space. That's what "enlarged" means.
The advantage of being a spiritually-older Christian is that there are more things to look back on. When you think of the time God brought you through a tragedy, or kept you from going down the wrong path, this should increase your confidence that God will help you right now.
These things give confidence. In verse 2 through 6, he lists three things that can tear you down. The first is enemies, especially the kind that stab you in the back and lie about you. That is what "leasing" means in verse 2. It's hard to be confident when people question your motives and cut down your character. I have found that people usually don't have their facts straight when they rip up someone. And it usually doesn't matter to them - they've already made up their minds about you. David's answer to them is that God looks after his own. He has set apart the "godly" for himself. God knows exactly what is going on inside us - the Bible says he knows us better than we know ourselves. If you feel God is convicting you of something, deal with it immediately. It it's only other people who are causing you grief, just focus on your relationship with the Lord.
A second thing that can tear you down is hot-headed friends. Verse 4 seems to be addressing them when it says:
"Stand in awe, and sin not."
A better translation is, "In your anger, do not sin."
When David was running away from his son Absalom, many of David's followers wanted to get revenge on the young man. David was angry but he didn't let it influence his decisions. He adds in verse 4:
"Commune with your own heart upon your bed and be still."
If you are feeling a lot of pressure, there is always the temptation to lash out. Don't do it, especially if your emotions are high. It's much better to quietly examine your thoughts and motives like David says.
The apostle Paul deals with this issue in Ephesians 4:26:
"In your anger, don't sin. Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, and don't give the devil a foothold."
Paul goes a little farther than David - don't just meditate on your motives but clear up the situation as fast as you can. The impulse to get even has another restraint for Christians. As verse 5 says, "Our trust must be in God." Let him deal with the other person.
Our main concern should be on sacrifices of righteousness, which means living our religion the way God intends us to. You may be focusing all your thoughts on the other guy - God wants you to focus on you.
A third threat to confidence is in verse 6: discouragement. Once again, it seems like David is talking about his friends.
"Who will show us any good? Does anybody really care about us?"
David's answer is quite simple: God is enough.
At the end of verse 6 he asks God to encourage his friends and in verse 7 he gives a testimony: God has given him more gladness in his heart spiritually, than others can get from their material prosperity.
This is the challenge for every Christian. Are you seeking peace with God, or a contentment that depends on outward circumstances? David had that spiritual peace and even in the worst situations he had no trouble falling asleep.
God watched after him, and he can watch after you.
________
Typed on April 13, 2005, by Sharon Lesko of Ledgewood Baptist Church, New Jersey
Copyright © 2024 by Rev. David Holwick
Created with the Freeware Edition of HelpNDoc: Easily create HTML Help documents