Well, this seems really out of place. I feel trapped up here behind this podium.
I'm so used to being there, but the communion has got my normal spot.
So I'm going to preach up here and I'm going to wander around every now and then.
So y'all bear with me if you will.
This morning we look at Psalm 4.
We have begun a series through the summer in the book of Psalms
and we're just going one psalm at a time.
And this morning we've reached Psalm 4.
And before I read this psalm together with you,
I want to ask two questions.
And these questions come directly out of this psalm.
But I want to focus your mind on these two questions
before we read, before we consider the text.
And here's the two questions.
The first question is this.
And this is a very personal question.
And I wonder if we think much about it.
Let me ask this question.
When do you call out to God?
When do you, in your life, call out to God?
Is it based on hard circumstances?
Is times of a trauma?
When is it that you actually call to Him?
And the second question is similar.
Why?
So I ask these two questions.
When do you call out to God?
And then why do you do that?
Why do you choose to call out to God?
Or in some cases, why not?
Why are you not calling out to God?
The psalm we read this morning is a psalm written by David.
And we'll see very early in this psalm that David cries out to God or calls out to God.
He's in conversation with God.
And we'll read about the scenario and we'll talk about that a little more.
But the question is for us to consider, how about us?
David will see there's a situation in his life that is the reason he's calling out to God.
We'll consider that situation.
But you know, our lives are full of situations.
And how frequently do we find ourselves calling out to God?
How often are we in conversation with Him?
What does prayer look like for us?
Is prayer an event for you?
Or is prayer a conversation for you?
Why in the world would you spend time in conversation with God?
We'll look at that as we look at this passage this morning.
Read with me, if you will, Psalm 4.
Written by David.
Verse 1.
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?
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.
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.
Let's pray.
Father, this morning, as we look at Your Word,
I pray that You would open, spiritually speaking,
open our eyes and open our ears,
that we might hear and see Your truth this morning.
And I pray that You would move our heart to desire You all the more.
God, I pray that You would lead our time this morning.
And I pray in Your name.
Amen.
So again, these two questions.
We see here David calling out to God.
And then it begs the question,
David, why do you do this?
Why is this a practice in your life?
Why do you choose to call out to God?
What is it that you know or what is it that you've experienced
that has led you to this pattern in your life?
Now, we would...
Let me say it this way.
It would be important for us to understand
who David is and what situation he's in
and what has transpired in his life leading up to this time.
So it's important for us to understand the history of the nation.
And I don't have time to recite all of that,
but we would know the highlights of it,
that David is the son of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
And we would know some things about Abraham's life,
that Abraham was a pagan in a foreign land,
and God called to him and he responded.
And God promised Abraham many things.
And he promised through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
And then certainly as we walk forward in the lineage of Abraham,
we find David, his son, the son of Abraham.
Abraham's a man of faith.
He believed God.
He trusted God.
He experienced God.
God made promises to Abraham and to the nation.
God, you remember through Samuel,
went to anoint a son of Jesse.
You remember God said,
go to the house of Jesse and anoint the next king.
You remember that he went to the house of Jesse
and all the sons of Jesse lined up except one.
All the warring sons,
all the sons that the father was impressed with lined up,
but David was in the field.
The one who, in a sense,
his father didn't even acknowledge was in the field.
And Samuel got there and said,
where's your other son?
He's like, these are my sons.
No, God has not chosen these.
You must have another son.
And they sent to call David.
And David came.
And Samuel anointed him as king over Israel.
He did not immediately step into the kingship.
Actually, the king Saul chased after him,
threw spears at him,
sought him to kill him and destroy him
so there wouldn't be competition for the throne.
Saul chased after his own ways,
but David was a man after God's own heart.
The same David that wrote this psalm,
you would remember when he was a shepherd in the fields by himself,
watching the flocks,
caring for the flocks,
that as we read,
we learn that he saw the powerful hand of God at work
as he protected the flock.
You remember the bear.
You remember the lion who attacked.
And by the great power of God,
David defeated both.
He had seen the mighty hand of God.
You know, David became proficient at playing the harp.
Can you imagine being out in the grasslands
all day, every day by yourself with the flocks?
I've had the privilege to travel to Mongolia
and see what it's like to be in a nomadic land.
A land that has very few buildings
that men travel with their flocks with tents
and they'll erect a tent for a period of time
while they feed their animals.
And then when the grass is eaten,
they'll move to another spot
by putting their tent into,
collecting their tent,
putting it on a trailer
and going to another place
and erecting their tent
and staying there for a while.
It's a nomadic lifestyle.
David knew what it was like
to be in the wilderness by himself.
He knew what it was like
to see the hand of God protect the flock.
He knew what it was like to worship.
So much so that we know the story of David
when his father called him
and he wanted David to deliver food
and gifts to his brothers
who were on the front line.
The nation of Israel
was in a battle with the Philistines
and they had put forth their champion,
this guy named Goliath.
And Goliath was taunting
the children of Israel.
And David went out there
and was like,
why are you not fighting them?
What is up?
Why are y'all standing here?
Why have you stood here for 40 days
afraid to fight this uncircumcised Philistine?
And then when this Philistine,
Goliath,
began to ridicule God,
something went off in the heart of David.
How dare you ridicule my God?
How dare you do that
to the God of all creation?
To the God that's worthy of worship?
We see David,
a man after God's own heart.
David who's quick to worship.
David who has come to know
the powerful person of God in his life,
to see his hand at work.
And David is used by God,
this boy,
to destroy this giant.
That's the David that writes this psalm.
We don't know exactly
where it is in the life of David.
Some believe that it's after Absalom
has usurped the throne
and he's fled from Absalom.
He's with a band of men
and they are fleeing.
He doesn't want to confront his son
in battle and kill his son.
So he's fleeing.
That's what many believe here.
And then we see this psalm
and the truths that are woven in this psalm.
And what I want us to see
is that David has this habit
of calling out on God.
And we can't divorce this
from the life of David.
We can't divorce this
from the time he's a shepherd.
We can't divorce this
from all that's happened in his life
to this point.
And I pause just for a second
to make this pertinent to you and I.
And again, I ask this question,
how often do you call on God?
What is it like,
your relationship with the Lord?
Do you find yourself
genuinely depending on God?
Or do you find yourself
more likely to depend on your own ability?
Do you find yourself
full of peace
and full of quietness
when circumstances rage?
Or do you find yourself disquieted?
Do you find turmoil
stewing inside of you?
Churning inside of you?
And you wonder,
how am I going to handle this?
What am I going to do?
What do I need to fix?
How can I control this?
Is that common for you?
Or do you find yourself
calling on God?
Calling out on God.
I want us to notice
something that we saw last week
where David laid down and slept.
You know, sometimes when
we have turmoil in our life,
it's hard to sleep, isn't it?
We can't turn the switch off.
We lay down
and we can't find sleep.
Or if we do,
it's just spotty
and we wake back up
and it's still on our mind,
the forefront of our mind
and we can't get away from it.
But you know that's not true here for David.
Look at verse 9.
In peace,
I will both lie down and sleep.
How is it possible
that when circumstances
are out of control,
whatever those circumstances might be,
that we actually can rest and sleep?
It's only through trust, isn't it?
I want to share this,
that the psalm
reveals to us
something about
David's relationship to God.
I see three things
and I want to look at
all three of these things.
First is this,
that David knows
the character of God.
David knows
the character of God.
Where do I see that?
I want us to look here.
I see 11 statements
by David
that reveal
that he knows
the character of God.
I want you to look
with me here.
Notice in verse 1,
he says,
when I call to you,
O God,
my righteousness.
You know what he's saying here?
He recognizes
that his righteousness,
that is the righteousness
that David would say
is true for him,
is sourced in God.
O God,
you who've given me righteousness,
you who've granted righteousness,
you who've clothed me
in righteousness.
The source of David's righteousness
is God.
God is the giver
of righteousness.
We also see
that he gives relief
in distress
in that same verse.
David says,
you've given me relief
when I was in distress.
You know,
he has that in a past tense.
I have lived it, God.
I know by experience
that you've given me relief.
You've done it
in the past in my life.
I know you're the one
who's able to give relief.
And Lord,
I call out to you.
In the same verse,
he says,
be gracious to me.
What is he saying here?
God,
you are the gracious God.
You are the one
full of grace.
And I'm asking that you
would give me your grace.
Pour your grace upon me, God.
You are the gracious one.
He goes on to say
in verse 3,
I know that the Lord
has set apart
the godly for himself.
God is the one
that sets apart
those for himself.
God is the one
that chooses men
for his purposes.
And then in that verse,
it says,
the Lord hears
when I call to him.
The end of verse 3.
You know that
when we call on God
truly out of the heart
that he hears,
you know God is a God
who hears
the cries of his children.
Have y'all come to know
that by experience
or you just know it
by thought?
David knew it
by experience.
How many times
has David called out
on God for help?
How many times
has he lived it?
We don't know.
But we do see
many situations
as we read the scriptures
about David.
He knew him
to be a gracious God.
A God that hears prayers.
And then also
in verse 5
we see this,
is that he's a God
worthy to be worshipped.
He's a God
of holiness.
holiness.
It's right
that we would offer
proper sacrifices
to God.
And what is
a proper sacrifice?
Psalm 51 reveals,
it says,
the sacrifices
of God
are a broken spirit,
a broken
and contrite heart.
That is a right
sacrifice.
That is genuine
worship.
When we see
ourselves
how we really
are,
that apart from him
we're nothing.
And he is a
holy God
deserving praise
and worship
and honor
and glory.
David knows that.
And I want you
to see in that
same verse
it says,
put your trust
in him.
God is a
trustworthy God.
We can absolutely
take it to the bank.
We can entrust
ourselves
into the hands
of the God
who is good.
The God
who is able.
Amen.
In verse 6
we see
this question
that he poses,
this question
that he keeps
hearing for others,
who will show
us some good
and what is
the response
of David?
I'll tell you
who will show
us some good.
It's God
and God alone
that shows us good.
So he prays,
God shine
your face
upon us.
What is it
for God
to shine
his face
on us
but the
goodness
of God
to be
focused our way
for God
who is
the good
one,
the one
and only
one who
is good
to shine
forth his
face on us.
He knows
God
is one
who is
good.
Do we
know God
in that
way?
Do we
understand it
deep in our
spirit or do
we just
understand it
as a
concept?
Have we
come to
know that
everything
he does
in our
life is
good?
You know
sometimes
from the
human
perspective
we look
at events
in our
life and
say God
why are
you letting
this happen?
If you're
sovereign and
you're in
control and
you love
me why are
you letting
this happen?
And we
see it from
the human
perspective but
God sees it
from a
divine perspective
in the
events that
he's allowing
in our
life have
an ultimate
end for
our good.
We see it
in Romans.
He causes
all things
to work
together for
the good
of those
he calls
his own.
even things
that from
an earthly
perspective
we view
as not
good
as painful
as traumatic
God turns
them all
for the
good of
his children.
Mystery
a huge
mystery
hard for
us to
understand
it
but
everything
that God
does is
good
he is
the good
one
and we
look at
verse 7
you have
put more
joy in
my heart
than the
nation
when they
celebrate
the harvest
there's
more joy
that is
in my
heart
because
you've
placed
it
there
you are
the
giver
of joy
and we
look in
verse 9
in peace
I will
lie down
and sleep
do you know
where peace
comes from
you know
where true
genuine
peace
comes from
only from
him
only from
him
if we
were to
read
Ephesians
we would
see the
message of
where peace
comes from
it says
be anxious
for nothing
but in
everything
by prayer
and fasting
with
thanksgiving
make your
requests
known to
God
and the
peace
of God
which
passes
understanding
shall guard
your hearts
and mind
through Christ
Jesus
the peace
of God
that passes
all understanding
is a gift
to his
children
it's related
to prayer
did you hear
it
be anxious
for nothing
but by
prayer
with prayer
fasting
and thanksgiving
let your
requests be
made known
to God
why
because the
trustworthy
God
loves you
the God
who is
sovereign
and able
loves you
the God
who works
all things
for our
good
provides for
you
and he
gives you
peace
the source
of peace
the true
source
is God
himself
David
knows this
he's sharing
this
and at the
end of it
the end of
verse 8
it says
for you
alone
oh Lord
make me
to dwell
in safety
you alone
make me
to dwell
in safety
put it in
context
in David's
life
if truly
he's fleeing
from Absalom
and truly
he has
a whole
army
that's chasing
after him
how can he
make this
statement
that you
alone
make me
dwell
in safety
that if
I'm going
to be
safe
this day
it's because
you put
your hand
around me
and you
protect me
do we
know God
in this
way
have you
come to
know him
as a
source of
peace
and the
source of
joy
and the
source of
your
protection
and the
source of
all goodness
have you
come to
know him
as worthy
of trust
as worthy
of worship
have you
come to
see God
as the
gracious
one
have you
known him
in a way
that when
you pray
he hears
do we
find ourselves
trying to
manipulate
God
I'm
praying
you better
answer me
because you're
the one
who answers
are we
manipulating
him
I want
you to
do
this
I want
you to
do it
this way
I want
you to
do it
in this
timing
I want
you to
fill in
the blank
what is
our
relationship
to God
do we
know him
like David
knew him
and so I
ask the
question again
that we
started with
the question
is this
when
do you
call to
him
and now
we've
answered the
question
why
why is it
that we
would call
to him
because
look who
he is
when we
come to
know him
more deeply
you know
what begins
to be
more frequent
in our
life
we begin
to talk
to him
more
have y'all
noticed that
in your
own life
the longer
you walk
in the
faith
the longer
you pursue
him
the more
you chase
to know
him
the more
you talk
to him
do you
find yourself
in prayer
sometimes
laughing
with him
do you
find yourself
enjoying
him
the
relationship
do you
find yourself
entrusting
more
and more
into his
hands
have you
gotten to
the place
in your
Christian
walk
where you
could say
God
I sense
this anxiety
this rising
in me
but I don't
want to
own it
I don't
want to
handle it
I want to
give it to
you and I
entrust it
in your
hands
I choose
to tell you
what's going
on in my
heart
and God
I lay it
before you
and I say
God you
take this
burden
as the one
who's able
I'm not
going to
worry about
it
I'm going
to watch
and see
what you
do
and I'm
going to
worship
and praise
you through
the midst
of it
all
have we
grown
in our
walk
to the
place
where we
trust him
in that
way
you know
that's
what he's
offering
to all
of us
Hebrews
says
come boldly
to the
throne
of grace
that you
may
find
help
in time
of need
how often
do we
have need
how often
do you
need him
you know
this is a
very revealing
question
how often
do you
need him
you know
we need
him a
whole lot
more than
we think
and Linda
I know
you shared
in Sunday
school
that just
because of
health
and breathing
and getting
up and mobility
that you would
quickly say
I need him
all the time
and you
probably
have grown
in your
walk
through the
midst of
this tough
journey
you're on
you know
when life
is going
good
you know
what the
children of
Israel did
they forgot
about him
I would
venture to
say they
really didn't
know him
when we
know him
as the
one who's
good
the lover
of our
soul
you know
what we
want to
do
we want
to be
in
conversation
with him
why would
we want
to
because
who he
is
the more
we come
to know
him
the more
we entrust
ourselves
to him
the more
we come
to know
him
the more
we pray
to him
the more
we talk
to him
the deeper
the relationship
becomes
and so let's
look real quick
at the scenario
here
I want you
to see that
there's some
men in verse
two
I really
believe that
the setting
here is
David
is
fleeing
from an
army
or those
who would
seek to
destroy
him
and we
see in
verse 9
that he's
laying down
and sleeping
so in my
mind what I
see this
psalm saying
is David
is calling
out to
God
you are
my
righteousness
you're
the one
who's
given me
relief
I have
a history
here
this has
happened
before
I've
seen
your hand
operate
my life
and God
again
I call
out to
you
David
who knows
the character
of God
who's
experienced
the power
of God
calls out
on God
you know
that's a true
pattern for us
too
the more
we know
him
the more
experienced
and the more
we call
out to him
and he's
calling out
in this
situation
he's saying
God
hear my
prayer
and then
I can
picture him
on his
bed
he's just
thinking about
all that's
going on
and he's
thinking about
these men
and what
men is he
talking about
he's talking
about the
leaders of
the nation
he's talking
about the
men that are
wealthy
the men that
are influential
the men that
would be
considered
leaders in
the nation
why do I
say it's
those men
well look
at verse
six
he says
lift up
the light
of your
face
upon us
oh lord
who is the
us
it's me
and these
men
so he's
in his
in my mind
he's
he's laying
on his bed
and he's
thinking about
what's going
on and he's
in conversation
with God
and he's
saying to
God
please hear
my prayer
I'm calling
out to you
because of
all that's
going on
and these
men
he's just
in a sense
he's picturing
these men
and it's as if
right in on
his bed
he's saying
to these
men
let me just
get you
to hear
these things
men
will you
just
listen
how long
will my
honor be
turned into
shame
and it begs
the question
David
what are you
talking about
your honor
being turned
into shame
are they
treating him
as the king
that he truly
is
are they
treating him
as God's
anointed
we have to
know that
David was
anointed by
God
through Samuel
David said
to Samuel
go and you
take the oil
and when you
get there
you anoint
David as the
next king
he is the
one I
choose
to be king
and what are
the men of
the nation
doing
they're running
him out of
town
they're not
treating him
as king
they're not
honoring him
as king
and listen
they're
dishonoring
God
because
they're
turning their
back on
the leader
that God
has placed
at the head
of the nation
his honor
as king
as leader
as the
called one
the anointed
one by God
they are
turning into
shame
not only are
they hurling
accusations at
him
not only that
but they're
chasing him
to kill him
they don't
trust
the plan
of God
and he
reveals
about these
men that
what they
really love
is vain
words
and they
seek after
lies
they're not
listening
to the
Lord
they're not
trusting
in the
Lord
they're trusting
after their
own ways
and their
own ways
lead to
destruction
they're not
honoring David
as a king
the anointed
of God
and he
reminds them
this is again
he's thinking
about what he
would say
to these men
but know
this that the
Lord has set
apart
the godly
for himself
it's the
Lord that
anointed me
as king
and so when
you chase me
to kill me
you know what
you're doing
you're looking
at the face
of God
and say
I will not
accept what
you've done
I want to
accept your
plan
I will not
accept your
way
we're going
to do
our own
thing
and as
David's
thinking
through this
he says
this
be angry
and do
not sin
it's
six
excuse me
seven things
he says
to these
men
I don't
think he's
in their
company
when he
says it
but he's
rehearsing
this in his
mind
as he's
on his
bed
and he's
in prayer
he's
singing
be angry
and sin
not
I think
a better
English
translation
would be
this
tremble
with fear
and stop
sinning
tremble
with fear
at what
God
has done
don't
turn away
from what
God
has put
in place
and stop
sinning
by trying
to
overthrow
the king
you are
sinning
against
God
because
God
has put
this
in place
ponder
in your
own
hearts
and be
silent
in other
words
get in
front
of God
and listen
to him
and recognize
how little
you are
and how
great
he is
you think
about these
truths
and you
be silent
because
what can
you say
to a
holy
sovereign
righteous
God
and then
he goes
in verse
five
and he
says
offer
right
sacrifices
the right
sacrifice
is a
contrite
heart
these
men
were
full
of pride
full
of the
flesh
full
of their
own
ways
doing
whatever
they wanted
to do
whatever
they wanted
to make
happen
in a
sense
this might
be true
as well
you know
God had
promised
that
through
David
there would
always be
a king
on the
throne
he had
also
promised
earlier
that there
would be
this time
when there
would be
a kingdom
of peace
we see
Isaiah
talking about
it years
later
he said
there's a
time coming
when they
will take
their swords
and they
will beat
them into
plowshares
there will
be a time
of peace
that will
last forever
you know
that that
was talking
about
eternity
that was
talking about
after the
second coming
of Christ
he's pointing
forward
yes there's
a kingdom
of peace
coming
but these
men wanted
it to be
an earthly
kingdom
of peace
they wanted
to conquer
everybody
so they
could rest
and do
what they
wanted to
do
I think
that is
a part
of this
equation
that David
is not
the king
they'd hoped
he would be
David
has not
given them
peace
from all
their enemies
David
has not
lived up
to the
building
what we
thought he
should have
lived up
to
but look
what David
does
let me ask
this question
if you
ever had
an enemy
if you
ever had
people
that seek
to do
you harm
emotionally
physically
situationally
how do you
respond
what do you
do
look what
David did
in verse
6
in the
midst
of this
situation
he says
lift up
the light
of your
face
upon us
God
he even
identified
with them
and he
blessed
them
he prayed
for them
these men
that are
chasing him
these men
that are
dishonoring
God
these men
that are
trying to
kill him
what does
he do
he prays
for them
let me
just share
with us
the importance
of this
and I
would encourage
you
if there's
anyone in
your life
and I've
said it
before
that you
would say
I hate
them
I hope
evil
I wish
evil upon
them
I resent
them
if there's
any level
of animosity
you have
toward any
person
I would
encourage
you to
do what
David did
and pray
for them
I realize
there's some
situations
that are
beyond
what we
could possibly
do
if you've
been hurt
deeply
wounded
deeply
there's no
way in the
flesh you're
going to be
able to
forgive
but listen
the power
of God
is great
and God
could give
you a love
for people
that have
tried to
hurt you
and maybe
have hurt
you
God
is calling
us
to entrust
even that
to him
and God
will put
a strength
and a power
in our lives
to be able
to pray
for our
enemies
when we
entrust
these things
to him
guess what
the result
is
incredible
joy
so the
question
for us
how well
do you
sleep
I know
that's not
a fair
question
I don't
sleep all
night
every night
but is
it because
that there's
bitterness
and anger
and resentment
in our
heart for
others
and God
would call
us to lay
that at the
foot of his
cross and
with the
power
of God
to love
others
to lift
all these
things up
to him
in prayer
when do we
pray to him
it's my
hope that we
all begin
to be in
constant
conversation
with God
it was said
of A.W.
Tozer
a guy who's
written some
pretty powerful
books who
had a deep
relationship
with God
it was said
about him
not him
saying it
about himself
it was said
about him
there was never
ten minutes a day
when he wasn't
in conversation
with God
if you've
ever heard
about a guy
named Brother
Lawrence
there's a book
and as a guy
that just lived
his life
talking to God
sometimes out loud
and just in
constantly listening
to God
constantly in
communion and
fellowship with
God
you know it's
the privilege of
all believers
to enjoy
fellowship now
to entrust
ourselves to
him now
to love
others
now
to live
this life
of
trusting God
praying
to him
on a
constant
basis
why
because he's
the God
who's able
he's the
sovereign
God
can handle
all situations
it's my
hope that
we all
grow
in
quietness
in our
heart
is that
true for
us
church
right now
when you
get alone
and you
just sit
do you
find your
heart
full of
turmoil
or do you
find it
full of
quietness
my
encouragement
to all
of us
is that
we would
cast our
burdens
on him
that we
might
experience
the gift
of
quietness
of peace
of rest
you know
he offers
it to all
of us
every one
of us
let's pray
father i
don't think
you're asking
us to
accomplish
this thing
to accomplish
prayer to
make ourselves
trust you
god i think
you're wanting
to show us
your glory
and your
greatness
and your
holiness
and your
love
and your
grace
show us
that you're
able to
do all
things
that you
love us
and you
cause things
to work
together for
good
and you're
growing us
into the
image of
christ
you're purging
us
of sin
god help
us to
turn
our eyes
on jesus
help us
to
look to
you
for all
things
help us
to live
a life
of
dependency
that more
and more
we would
trust you
in every
area of our
life
and father
when the
world
throws
things
at us
and it
makes us
uneasy
god help
us to
quickly turn
to you
and talk
to you
and give
those things
to you
that we
might experience
the peace
that passes
all understanding
father we
long for
a deeper
walk with
you we
long for
this fellowship
that's
uninterrupted
we long
for all
these burdens
to be yours
that you
would take
them away
from us
they're heavy
god
god i pray
that you
would put a
song in our
spirit and we
would worship
you and sing
to you and
enjoy you
father you
give us the
privilege to
enjoy you and
i just pray that
you would do a
work in each of
our lives that
would take us to
this deeper
place and i
pray in your
name
amen