Psalms 4:1-5
1 Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer. 2 O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah. 3 But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the Lord will hear when I call unto him. 4 Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah. 5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord.
Quickword: God Is…
As we head collectively to worship this morning, weather in person or virtually, many of us enter this time and space with petitions to God. We cry out because of the mass shootings of the last two weeks that left the most vulnerable among us losing their lives. We cry out because of the dishonesty and hypocrisy of the response from elected officials from the National, State and Local levels. We cry out to the God of our righteousness because we have been in distressed before and when we called upon Him, He had mercy and heard our prayers. The Psalmist asks the question to humanity, how long will we turn God’s glory into shame? How long will will we seek after vanity and leasing (lies)?To those of us who know God, the Psalmist answers these rhetorical questions reminding all of us that:
- The Lord will hear and answer our prayers.
- The Lord calls us to stand in
awe of who He is, to be still and commune within our hearts and to sin not.
- The Lord calls us to offer the sacrifices of the righteous and to put our trust in Him.
My beloved Sisters and Brothers, we are facing some of the most difficult days in some of our lives. These difficulties are not limited to the tragic events that are unfolding before our eyes. If we are honest, many of us are facing individual and family challenges that cause us today to cry out to God, how long, how long will this situation or circumstanc have us bound? I don’t know how long we will be in this season, yet the good news I know is that if we hold on unto our faith and trust in the Lord, He is faithful and just to hear our prayers. The good news is that God is….God is still the King of kings and the Lord of lords. God is still a healer and a deliverer. God is still a comforter in times of calamity and peace in the midst of a storm. God is all that we need. Beloved it, no matter what we are facing, let us keep our trust in the Lord.
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