How are you sleeping?

How Are You Sleeping? Psalm 4:5 Do you sleep well? Or do you find yourself tossing and turning at night because of problems, worries, troubles? Is it even possible to reach the calm, serene scene reflected by the psalmist here? If you are struggling – let Psalm 4 encourage you tonight. The “wrecking ball” called life may have demolished what you were trying to build, but God will give you the strength to rebuild. Yes, you’ll deal with pain in the process. That’s why David begins this psalm the way he does. Let’s spend a few minutes looking into Psalm 4 together. 1. A Tight Place (v.1) a. Distress in verse 1 = a tight place where there is no room to turn or maneuver. i. Being pinned in or being penned down. ii. Seemingly no way out. b. In such circumstances, do as David did – call on the Lord! c. It can be hard to keep your attention on the Lord when you are in a tight spot, because we tend to want to focus on whatever it was that put us into the situation. i. For David, his “tight spot” had come from the actions of other people against him (v. 2-3). 1. He wondered, “How could they do this to me?” 2. He knew he did not deserve the treatment he was receiving. 3. He had been pushed away by people, but he knew God held him close. ii. Our society is filled with people who do the wrong things! 1. Spouses who betray and hurt 2. Parents who abandon children 3. Children who turn against good parents 4. Friends who abuse and misuse their friendships iii. When you are on the receiving end of hurtful actiions , your sole consolation may be that “The Lord will hear when you call on Him.” 2. Dealing with Feelings a. David came to grips with his own hard feelings against those people who had wounded him. i. He showed in verses 2-3 that his feelings were making it hard for him to rest. ii. In his struggles to contain his hurt, his anger, or whatever negative emotions he was struggling with, David made a major decision. 1. Rather than focusing on how others had treated him, he first reminded himself that God was near (v.3) 2. The he focused his thoughts on the things he needed to change in his own life (vv 4-5). iii. Instead of nursing a grudge, he looked within his own heart. iv. Instead of trying to remove the specks from his adversaries’ eyes, he focused on the log in his own eye. b. Here is the important lesson we all need to remember – we cannot change the other person and we cannot change the events that already happened, but we can change ourselves (with God’s power). i. By taking responsibility for our attitudes (anger, hurt, resentment, bitterness, etc) ii. By not allowing ourselves to engage in thrashing and striving (be still and be quiet) c. At first, things may not seem to be improving. i. “Who can show me any good?” verse 6 ii. David teaches us to not look on the external, but to trust in the inner presence of God “Let the light of Your face…” verse 6. iii. This means that God’s presence (light) is always with us when we look to him. 1. Life had stripped David of a lot at this point, but he knew he was not stripped of the presence of God. 2. Verses 7-8 iv. Sleep can come when you realize that your happiness is more than the external laughter of those who are against you. 1. They may feel good about the trappings of their life (grain and new wine abounding) 2. Your position in Christ is far more enviable because you are no longer dependant on external things to find fulfillment. v. Spiritual growth comes as you pour out your heart to the Lord. 1. Through prayer, you move from the distress of verse 1, the tight place, to safety (verse 8) where you can rest easy in the Lord. 2. Prayer does more than just change things. It changes you. Conclusion God knows our anxieties. God will quiet our hearts. He will give us contentment and joy. God will help us do right even when others are doing wrong.