Psalm 4:1-8
Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer. 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 faithful servant for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him. Tremble and 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. Many, Lord, are asking, "Who will bring us prosperity?" Let the light of your face shine on us. Fill my heart with joy when their grain and new wine abound. In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.
We believe in the God who makes us righteous. We were not worthy, but in Christ we can proclaim to the righteous by faith, and we can receive the salvation of Jesus by faith. Our sins can be washed away, and before God we become righteous. In Old Testament time, Abraham was called by God as a righteous man because of his faith in God. It is evident that the God we believe in is consistent from Old Testament time and New Testament time. When we depend on Him by faith, we are justified by faith.
Not only that, our God is also one who vindicates us. When we are wrongfully attacked n any situation, he will make us righteous. In this scripture passage, the psalmist encounter the hardship of being looked down on. Has anyone looked down on you? In our life or your job, we are often looked down on, and sometimes we are even down at look down at home. I thought about David; when Samuel went to his house to anoint one of the children as the king, his father's gathered all his brothers but not him. When Samuel asked whether those were all the children that his father had, Jesse thought of David who was working in the field taking care of sheep. I think David must have been hurt in his heart. Joseph was also look down on; when he was with his brothers, even though he was the favorite of his father, he was looked down on by his brothers, and he was even sold by his brothers to Egypt. In the New Testament Paul was also looked down by people. He once said that the church he visited thought he looked "unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing ", which meant they looked down on him.
No matter what your circumstance is, if God could help David, Joseph and Paul before, He can also help us today. You are not the only one who have suffered in such circumstances, for many saints over the past generations have suffered the same. Then they were in hardship however, they experienced God's help. In the same way, we can also experience God's help in Christ. Let us depend on Him and seek refuge in Him!
Pray with Pastor Tong
Lord, please come help us. Even though we might be looked down by people, we want to depend on you because you are the God who vindicates us, and you will also help us to live in safety in any circumstance. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!
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