QT 6/10/2022 Psalm 4, Believing His good is better than my good

Psalm 4 (ESV)

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.

1Answer 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!

2O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?

How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah

3But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself;

the Lord hears when I call to him.

4Be angry, and do not sin;

ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah

5Offer right sacrifices,

and put your trust in the Lord.

6There are many who say, “Who will show us some good?

Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!”

7You have put more joy in my heart

than they have when their grain and wine abound.

8In peace I will both lie down and sleep;

for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

 

NOTE: The question, "Who will show us some good?" is a poor question because the premise behind the question is misleading. The person is not looking for good, as in an objective 'best' possible thing, but rather what the person thinks is good, i.e., brings him immediate happiness and takes away pain. It is a temporal measure that is based on feelings and not objective knowledge. We don't have the vision (the ability to see the big picture, nor the ability to see the future impact) to decide what is truly good or best for us. Only God knows what is good, and so if we truly desire good, we must trust God for the good. For a true child of God, we are promised,

 

Romans 8:28 (RSV) We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.

 

This promise is not to all, but only to those who love God and have been called by God, that is true born-again believers. Others do not have this promise for their life, no matter how religious they might be. You must know God to experience God's goodness for your life. But know this, it will not always be what, at the time, you might call "good."

 

PONDER:

1. Do I trust God for good in my life or am I the judge of what is good for my life?

 

PRAYER: Father, it is so hard to trust in this matter. Sometimes your good is quite painful in the present, only yielding the peaceful fruit of righteousness sometime later. It is hard to wait. It is hard to appreciate your goodness because the world offers a temporal cheap goodness that is not really good at all. Open our eyes to your truth. Help us to trust you for your goodness.