Psalm - Psalm 4

Psalm 4:8I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

Peace: completeness, soundness, welfare
Alone: solitary
Dwell: make to abide, to remain
Safety: without care, confidence, hope, safely secure

As I read Psalm 4 there are many good truths. However, I continued going back to verse 8. Particularly, the words, "You alone". 

So many times people "give up" on Christianity, because they look at people. They look at what people have or have not done. They try to justify giving up on God, because of people - all who are sinners! Some of those sinners are saved by grace, but no the less sinners. 

We look at the World and wonder where God is. Why is He allowing such terrible things to take place. The reason, He gave us free will to choose or not to choose Him. The more people abandon God the more unchecked sin goes. Then we have "every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes" (Deuteronomy 12:8).

This is not the time to abandon God. Rather we need to look to Him ALONE. For God is the One who sets the standard and He is the one we desperately need. 

Psalm 4:8 - You Alone, O Lord! 

“I” Needs to Get Out of the Way!

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 121. Here is what I learned.

I will lift up my eyes to the hills [around Jerusalem, to sacred Mount Zion and Mount Moriah]—From whence shall my help come? Psalm 121:1 (AMP)

The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. Psalm 121:8 (AMP)

As I read Psalm 121 this morning, I noticed that the Psalm begins with “I” yet the focus soon changes to “The Lord”. The Lord is the source of light, strength, safety..... He is the source for everything that I need. 

So often I get stuck on the “I”, thinking that I can do it alone. Yet, when I try, I fall short, and miss so many of the wonderful blessings God has for me. “I” gets me in lots of trouble. 

As I continue to reflect on the past 13 years since my back injury.... all I can say is "Wow, what a great and awesome God I have!"  Although I'd like the pain to be GONE! I have to agree with Paul…. 

"…... I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan’s angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me,

My grace is enough; it’s all you need.

My strength comes into its own in your weakness.

Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become." 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (MSG) 

There are days when I don't see my pain as a gift… but when I stop and consider all the opportunities for me to share His great love, because of my pain, and I stop and realize that my pain is small in comparison to all Jesus Christ suffered for me—then I can say…. that God's grace and strength is all I need. My prayers is that "I just let Christ take over!" each and every day.

To create a positive day, “I” needs to get out of the way and allow “Christ to take over!”