By Pastor William Y. K. Brown Ph.D
(Resident Pastor)
Seventh-day Adventist Church
Osu-Bethel.
Tel: 0244165628/0243310773.
wykbrown@gmail.com
MONDAY
THEME: GOD OUR SAFETY“
SCRIPTURE: Psalms 4:1,8
“[1]Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer. [8]I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”
REFLECTIONS
Psalm 4 is a chapter in the Psalms demonstrating God’s care and love for His own. It provides safety and hope for the child of God. When distressed and worn out, we can look to God for His timely intervention and support. We need always to acknowledge that our safety at any point in time comes from the Lord. Living amid chaos and troubles, God relieves us of a looming danger. Your responsibility is to call when you need help.
Psalms 4:1, 3, and 8 reads, “[1]Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer. [3]But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself him who is godly; The Lord will hear when I call to Him. [8]I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” The psalmist shows us how to relate to God in our challenging moments.
In verse 1, he testifies of God’s relieving him from distress and pleads for God to continue to hear him when he prays. He has the assurance that God will listen to his prayer in verse 3. God expects us to pray and will welcome any prayer in faith, sincerity, and truthfulness. Our prayers must carry meaning, seriousness, honesty, and earnestness. We cannot come before God and just blab and make utterances without meaning or characterized by heartfelt sincerity. We do not pray to please people; we pray to honor and revere God and invoke His power to be unleashed in our lives. God set up prayer as a system of communicating with Him for our good, and He will honor every reverential prayer.
Please, go to Him in your distress. He will hear your prayer and show you mercy. Because of this, the psalmist confidently proclaimed, “I will . . . lie down and sleep.” He will sleep instantly because all his fears and anxieties are gone. He is assured that God will make him dwell in safety. Beloved, if the Lord is with you, even in fire or under the sea, there is divine protection and safety – remember the three Hebrew boys (Daniel 3) and Jonah (Jonah 1,2).
MY SONG OF COMMITMENT
SDAH 528 – “A Shelter In the Time of Storm”
LET US PRAY
– Praise and thank God for hearing your prayers; thank God for answered prayers; pray trusting God and His promises that in every situation, He will provide a way out;
– Pray for a family member, church member, a neighbor, and an acquaintance who is in distress;
– Pray for children who are growing up without parental care; pray for street children, beggars for alms, victims of disaster or wars;
– Pray for God’s peace for the nation, for pregnant women and children in incubators, and for healing for those who are ill.
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