August 27, 2006 · Psalm 4:8

Psalm 4

“He makes me lay down by green pastures. That's like the ultimate song of trust, Psalm 23. That it begins completely interesting, God. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. This song begins with a little bit of pain. He calls it to God in his distress. But still, this is an expression of pain, I would say, within a larger circle of trust, and that's why I think this song has a unique power. It's realistic and it's idealistic. It sees the pain that we go through in life, but it sees the joy and peace that we get when we commune with God and only with God in prayer. Some scholars suggest that when it says for you alone, the alone part isn't actually referencing God. It's not saying that only God can do this. What it's saying is that the person is alone. The person is in solitude. … And I think we can follow the example of Christ who went out early in the morning and was alone, and we start to see sleep like that. Think about it. Who knows what God accomplishes in our sleep? Do you know? I don't even know what's going on happened. I don't remember half my dreams. What I love about sleep is that it means that he has his spirit has us to himself for eight hours a day if we trust in him. If you trust in God, you follow sleep. He is with you for eight hours. Who knows how your spirit is communing with God if you went to bed and attitude of trust and confidence?”