This is the second Sunday of “Chew on This,” a look at the Psalms by Leslie of Light Came. We’re invited to read the Psalm and post our personal thoughts about it.

Psalm 4
Answer me when I call,
O God of my righteousness!
You have given me relief when I was in distress.
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!

O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?
How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah

But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself;
the Lord hears when I call to him.

Be angry, and do not sin;
ponder in your own hearts on your beds,
and be silent.
Selah

Offer right sacrifices,
and put your trust in the Lord.

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

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

In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

My thoughts, right as they come:

God has certainly given me relief in times of distress. Sometimes the relief came through change of circumstances. Sometimes—mostly—relief came through a change in my heart and acquiescence to His will.

The Lord has set us apart for himself; he’s made a covenant with us; we’re exclusively his. Because of that, he hears us when we call to him. Amazing thought!

Be angry, and do not sin. Oh, boy. Don’t give in to the temptation to mouth off or react in any way that is not in the spirit of Jesus. Ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Bring my anger and the situation to God; deal with him about it. Undoubtedly, the thing that needs to be changed is my heart.

Offer the right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord. The sacrifice of a broken and contrite spirit leaves no room for haughty anger or desire for revenge. Only a humble heart can trust in the Lord and move ahead into an unchanging situation with his grace and love. Oh, how this goes against everything in my human nature!

Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord! You have put more joy in my heart….The result of a clean heart before the Lord!

In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. Life is full of troubles, but the Lord does give relief to our souls that allows us to rest in him spiritually and therefore, physically. When I’m obedient to his Word, relief and rest surely follow. His Word is unfailingly true.

Be sure to head over to Leslie’s and read her post, then follow links and comments to see what others say as well. And please join in; we’ll come and read yours too!