Trust In the Lord

Today’s reading is Psalm 4.

There are some aspects of Psalm 4 that are hard to nail down. Are vss. 4-5 David’s continued speech to the men who are turning his honor to shame and going after vanity and lies? Is he giving them corrective instruction? Or are vss. 4-5 the beginning of David’s speech to the “us” of vs. 6? Has he already started encouraging his supporters? It seems to me a good case could be made for either. Maybe it is purposefully vague so that anyone who reads it, whether friend or foe, could make personal application. In fact, does it really matter? Isn’t the advice appropriate no matter which group David is addressing? The enemies have been attacking the Lord’s anointed. Even if they are angry and agitated with David and the Lord, instead of going after vanity and lies, they need to trust the Lord, offer right sacrifices, avoid sin. The supporters, on the other hand, might be getting very discouraged. They may wonder why the Lord hasn’t acted yet to defend His anointed against the lies and conspiracies. In fact, they may even be thinking the Lord has abandoned David. They may be getting angry and agitated. They may even be getting angry and agitated at the Lord for seemingly dropping His end of the covenant with David. David tells them to avoid sin, ponder and reflect silently without rebellion or angry words. Offer their sacrifices to the Lord and then trust Him to do what is right. The fact is no matter where I am today spiritually, the answer is I need to turn to the Lord in trust. Whether that means I need to repent and start trusting Him again or maintain my faithfulness and keep trusting Him, trusting the Lord is the right response. No matter what, today, I need to trust the Lord. Will you?

Tomorrow’s reading is Psalm 4.

A Word for Our Kids

Hey kids, what does it mean to trust the Lord? I mean, “trust in the Lord” is great advice, but how do we actually do that? Is this just a matter of having a proper attitude of trust or is there some kind of practical application? Trusting the Lord very practically and simply means doing what He says no matter what and relying on God to make it all work out for the ultimate good. If He says, “Turn left here,” but it looks to you like that means walking into a pool full of piranhas. You turn left here anyway. Do you know the story of David before he became king? God had him anointed, but Saul was still king for a time. Then Saul got really angry and tried to have David killed. David had to run and hide. He basically became a nomad with a group of men constantly relocating all over the region, trying to stay a step ahead of Saul. David had a couple of opportunities to kill Saul. Think about that. He knew he was supposed to be king. He had already been anointed. But he knew Saul was also God’s anointed. What did he do? He would not lift his hand against Saul, the Lord’s anointed. He trusted the Lord. If the Lord wanted David to be king, the Lord would get him there. If he had to suffer for a while until then, so be it. He didn’t have to take matters into his own hands. But now, there are people lifting their hands against David, God’s anointed. Let’s face it. David had messed up with Bathsheba and Uriah. Maybe God was done with David. Maybe God was going to replace him like He had Saul. How should people act? They should keep trusting the Lord. David was His anointed. They shouldn’t conspire against him. They shouldn’t try to overthrow him. They should worship God, serve the king, and let God work it out according to His plan. That would be trusting the Lord. Maybe it would go the people’s way, maybe not. But God will make it go the right way, the way that is best. And if the people were David’s supporters wondering why God hadn’t done something to protect and deliver David yet, they should trust the Lord. That is, they should keep worshiping God, serving the king, and let God work it out according to His plan. The Lord will do what is best and at the best time. Trust the Lord. Do what He says no matter what.

Podcast

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