Hi, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray with Me.”

Psalm 1 and 2 were an introduction to the Psalms. Psalm 3 was the first prayer — David’s prayer of loss and desperation when Absalom betrayed him. Our prayers often start in that same place of loss and desperation. But now Psalms 4 and 5 will introduce another type of prayer — prayers that are not emergency 911 calls to God, but prayers said in the regular rhythm of our lives in good times and bad.

The first rhythm the psalmist introduces is evening and morning. Psalm 4 is an evening prayer and Psalm 5 is a morning prayer. The heart of the evening prayer is to leave the finished and unfinished business of our day with God, to tell him our successes and failures, to entrust our friends and enemies to him. Then we release ourselves to the forgetfulness of sleep, knowing that God will not forget us. This is Psalm 4, our prayer today.

Let’s pray it.

“Answer me when I call to you
my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress,
have mercy on me and hear my prayer.”
Our Father, we bring to you the things that distressed us today — news of natural and political disasters, family breakups, problems with health and employment and relationships. We ask for a night of relief from our distress. Grant us peace.

“How long will you people turn my glory into shame?
How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?
Know that the Lord has set apart his servants for himself
the Lord hears when I call to him.”
Our enemies turn our glory into shame. They despise our faith, they belittle our prayers, they disparage our good works, they find fault with our view of God. But we are your people, Lord. Thank you that you honor us as servants and listen to our prayers.

“In your anger do not sin;
when you are on your beds,
search your hearts and be silent.
Offer the sacrifices of the righteous
and trust in the Lord.”
Our anger flared up again today, but now at day’s end we search our hearts and we are silent before you. You know us, for we are your people. We know you, for you are our God. We trust you with our heart and mind and soul.

“Many are asking, “Who will show us any good?”
Let the light of your face shine on us.
You have filled my heart with greater joy
than when their grain and new wine abound.”
We circle back to that age-old problem, “Who will show us any good?” What is good, and how can we know it? What is the good life, and how can we live it? Our answer is, “We know goodness when you smile at us, God. We feel goodness in the light of your presence. We experience goodness when you fill our hearts with joy.”

“In peace I will lie down and sleep,
for you alone, Lord,
make me dwell in safety.”
Our day, our life is in your hands. In your care, we give ourselves gladly and joyfully to sleep.
Amen

I’m Daniel on the channel “Pray with Me”.

Hi, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray with Me”.

Psalm 1 showed us an individual who is preparing to pray. Psalm 2 showed the world stage where prayer and politics are playing out. Now, in Psalm 3, we get down to the business of praying.

Psalm 3 has a subtitle that says, “A psalm of David when he fled from his son, Absalom.” Absalom was King David’s third son, so he wasn’t in line for the throne. But he had skill and ambition, so he won the hearts of the people of Israel, he proclaimed himself king in the city of Hebron, and he prepared to march on the capital city, Jerusalem, where his father David was king.

When David heard that Absalom was coming, he fled with his army and household to escape the coming terrorism and instability. As the convoy of refugees passed towns and villages, many who loved King David wept for him. David also wept on the road up the Mount of Olives, where many years later on this same mountain, Jesus, the son of David, would experience his betrayal.

Here are three things to notice about David’s prayer in Psalm 3.

1.  First, the prayer comes out of heartbreak, pain, loss, and desperation. David’s own son betrayed him and was preparing a violent coup. David doesn’t want to fight against his son, but circumstances may force him to.

2.  Second, at the beginning of the prayer, David’s focus is on his enemies: “Many rise up against me, many are saying of me, ‘God will not deliver him.’” But David’s focus soon turns to God. He says, “You are a shield around me.” Think of Star Wars, where the Death Star is shielded by a force field until Han Solo takes out the shield generator. God is our shield, and no evil empire or rebel alliance can take him out of the picture.

3.  Third, David chooses not to be paralyzed with fear. He doesn’t brood on all the bad things that are happening. He says, “I lie down and sleep, I wake again because the Lord sustains me.” Whether Absalom kills him or he kills Absalom, God is in charge. Might as well get a good night’s sleep.

Let’s pray.

“O Lord, how many are my enemies, how many say of me, ‘God will not deliver him.’”
– We bring to you our enemy anxiety. Our relationships are full of misunderstandings and stress. But we let go of the anxiety and replace it with trust in you.
– We bring to you our enemy self-pity. We are lonely, overworked, our health is failing, we are tired and poor. But we choose to exit our pity-party, and wait hopefully for the salvation you bring.

“You, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory and the One who lifts my head high.”
– We choose to stop looking at life with head hanging down. We want to see more than our feet. You are the one who lifts our head to see the shining sun, even when life seems black.
– We choose to stop looking at life with head hanging down. We want to see more than our feet. You are the one who lifts our head to see the shining sun, even when life seems black.

“I lie down and sleep, I awake again because you, Lord, sustain me.”
– Here we are, “Sleepless in Seattle” or wherever we live, brooding on the chaos and failure of our lives.
– But you have given us the day for work and the night for sleep. We commit to you our joys and sorrows, our relationships–broken or repaired, our hopes–dashed or renewed. We receive from you the gift of sleep, and the promise of a new day tomorrow.

Thank you, Lord. Amen.

I’m Daniel on the channel “Pray with Me”.