June 1, 2025 • 29 mins
Jason Sterling June 1, 2025 Faith Presbyterian Church Birmingham, AL Bulletin
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
If you have a copy of God's Word, turn to the Psalms.
We're going to look at Psalm 4this morning, so go to the
center of your Bible Psalmchapter 4.
This Psalm Psalm 4, is known asa personal lament, and this
Psalm is part of the largestcategory of the book of Psalms,
(00:21):
which is Psalms of lament.
They make up about 40 percentof the largest category of the
book of Psalms, which is Psalmsof Lament.
They make up about 40% of thePsalms, and I think that's
really significant because thattells us that God's people were
often sad.
This particular Psalm reflectson the mental anguish and the
(00:42):
anxiety that often comes over usat night when we're getting
ready to go to bed.
David, the author, isexperiencing something that is
so stressful that he'sstruggling to sleep, and he
experiences this and he sharesthat experience with us so that
(01:06):
you and I might learn thismorning how to lie down in peace
and go to sleep.
We're going to read this psalmtogether as we do Listen, watch
for the progression from anxietyand distress to peace and sleep
(01:27):
.
Follow along with me.
This is God's Word, psalm 4.
Answer me when I call O, god ofmy righteousness.
You have given me relief when Iwas in distress.
Be gracious to me and hear myprayer.
O men, how long shall my honorbe turned into shame?
How long will you love vainwords and seek after lies, but
(01:51):
know that the Lord has set apartthe godly for himself?
The Lord hears when I call tohim.
Be angry and do not sin.
Ponder in your own hearts, onyour own beds, and be silent.
Offer right sacrifices and putyour trust in the Lord.
There are many who say who willshow us some good?
(02:14):
Lift up the light of your faceupon us, o Lord.
You have put more joy in myheart than they have when their
grain and wine abound.
In peace, I will both lie downand sleep For you alone, o Lord.
(02:34):
Make me dwell in safety.
Let's pray and let's ask forthe Holy Spirit to come and help
us as we listen to the wordpreached, but also to help me as
I preach this morning.
Let's pray together.
Father, we do need your help.
You've brought us here on thisfirst Sunday of June and I pray
(02:57):
that you would give each one ofus, wherever we find ourselves
this morning, something that wecan lock onto so that we can get
through another week.
Give us something thatstrengthens our faith, that
ministers to our soul.
Would you enable me to preachwith boldness and clarity this
(03:18):
morning, and, more than anything, would we encounter the Lord
Jesus Christ in all of his gloryand goodness, so that we leave
here differently?
That is our prayer.
We're not just saying that wewant to leave here different
people, and we can't do that onour own.
We need your help, and soplease come and do it In Jesus'
(03:40):
name, amen.
Sleepless nights have you hadthose before?
I've had many of those.
In the early morning you findyourself staring at the ceiling,
wide awake, can't getcomfortable, you toss and you
(04:03):
turn.
You wake up.
Maybe you can't go back tosleep.
Your mind starts spiraling,you're racing, you're thinking
about the difficult situation atwork, maybe it's something in
the news that has causeddistress in you and you can't go
to sleep.
Maybe it's the mounting to-dolist, the financial pressure,
(04:25):
the doctor's appointment, thewaiting for the test results,
the hard conversation conflictthat you have, maybe with one of
your children or your spouse,or a friend, or a student.
If you are a student, maybeit's the test that you have
tomorrow or the big presentationthat counts a really big
(04:47):
percentage of your grade.
Whatever it is you can't sleep.
You try counting sheep, you trysmart watches to track your
sleep, meditation apps, deepbreathing exercises, sound
machines, melatonin sleep mask,prescription sleeping medication
(05:12):
.
Yet despite all the technologyand techniques, sleep often
remains elusive when we need itthe most.
It's often really difficult, isit not to quiet a noisy and
busy heart and mind?
Maybe this morning you say well, I don't have any clue what
(05:34):
you're talking about.
I sleep just fine.
I said that too when I wasyoung.
Then I hit middle age and lifegot a whole lot more complicated
.
I had a whole lot more thingsto start worrying about and to
be concerned with, and thebrokenness and the pressure of
(05:55):
the world got a lot closer and alot more personal.
Even this morning, if yourcircumstances never impact your
sleep, all of us have had theexperience of being anxious and
stressed and longing for peaceand rest.
All of us have longed to hearthe words it is finished at the
(06:18):
end of a long day, but insteadthere's always one more thing to
do and thoughts continue toswarm in our hearts and in our
heads and make us restless.
Psalm 4 speaks to that.
It speaks to that experiencebecause thousands of years ago,
king David was facing asleepless night of his own and
(06:42):
the pressure of his life and thestress of his life came pushing
in on him and he discoveredthat peaceful sleep was not
found in reaching out fortechnology and techniques, but
reaching out for God.
The God who never sleeps andwho never slumbers.
(07:04):
The God who never sleeps andwho never slumbers.
Psalm 4 gives us a roadmap thattakes us from distress to rest,
from anxious worry to peacefulsleep and trust.
To quiet our noisy hearts atbedtime we need three things.
(07:25):
We need to pray number one,you're a note taker.
Secondly, we need to reflect.
Lastly, we need to trust.
Pray, reflect, trust.
That's where we're headed.
Let's look at our first headingpray.
(07:46):
Normally in the Psalms, if youlook above the Psalm that you're
reading, you'll see a littlephrase.
You get it in Psalm 3.
If you have your Bible open,you can look at that.
It'll say something that givesyou the context.
It'll say a Psalm of David whenhe was fleeing from his son or
whatever.
We don't have that in Psalm 4,so we don't know the exact
context of what was happeningwith David that led him to write
this Psalm, but we do know he'sin distress.
(08:09):
That's obvious.
Look at verse 2.
His reputation is under attack.
His honor is being turned intoshame.
Political opponents arespreading lies about him.
Pressure was mounting.
Sleep seemed impossible.
Look at verse 1.
(08:31):
The word relief and stress arereally interesting.
The word relief suggestscreating space or room to
breathe because you're socompressed by the pressures and
circumstances of life.
By the pressures andcircumstances of life, the word
(08:52):
distress means to be hemmed inor backed into a corner.
I don't know about you, butthat's a frightening picture To
think about.
David feels in this moment likehe's suffocating.
He feels claustrophobic.
He feels like the walls areclosing in on him and he cannot
breathe.
And we've all felt those thingsand feel those things
(09:15):
particularly at night, in thedark, in the silence of the
night, when you feel mostvulnerable and you are preparing
to go to sleep.
It's in those moments that theanxiety seems to have so much
power and that power seems togrow at night, when you are
(09:39):
lying in your bed, you go tosleep and it seems like the
weight of the world comescrashing in on you, all of your
fears and worries and stress ofthe day that you just finished,
and then you start thinkingabout all you have to do
tomorrow and the day after that,and it seems to back you into a
corner.
When your head hits the pillow,you feel cornered by it all and
(10:07):
in that moment, notice whatDavid does.
He doesn't run from it.
That's what I often do, and ifyou try to run from it, that
actually makes it worse andwe've all had those experiences.
David doesn't run, he doesn'treach out for a technique or
(10:32):
technology, he reaches out forGod and he prays.
He prays to God, his anxietyand his pain and his
circumstances.
Look at verse 1.
Answer me.
It's very strong.
Answer me when I call O God ofmy righteousness, be gracious
and hear my prayer.
(10:52):
Notice a couple of things.
David doesn't approach God onhis own goodness, but on the
righteousness of God.
Also, notice the desperationhere.
Answer me, hear my prayer.
God, lord, please show up anddo something.
(11:13):
He's praying honestly and he'sacknowledging and putting words
to what's going on inside of himin the moment.
What does David pray?
Look at verse 3.
But know the Lord has set apartthe godly for himself.
David is praying truth back toGod.
(11:33):
He says God, I belong to you,you have claimed me and you have
made me your own.
Therefore, look at the secondhalf of verse 3,.
You will hear me when I call.
Do you see how that is working?
He's desperate.
(11:54):
He starts reflecting on truthGod cares for his own, and that
desperate prayer becomes a boldstatement of confidence.
Lord you not might, will hearme.
The Lord hears me when I call.
(12:15):
The very act of remindinghimself of God's character
strengthened his soul when hisheart was noisy and loud and
restless.
When your mind starts racingand you start rehearsing the
worries of the day, reach outfor God.
(12:37):
Let bedtime become a sanctuary,not a torture chamber.
Let bedtime be a time where youtransform your worries into
worship.
You find yourself backed in acorner.
Instead of counting sheep, howabout we start counting the
(13:02):
promises of God, counting andlooking at the character of God,
crying out in prayer to the Godwho never sleeps, who's always
awake and who will hear you andis listening in the middle of
the night when you can't sleep.
Pray to him.
(13:22):
You have a God who always hearsyou and is always listening.
Secondly, reflect.
Here's the sense.
Look at verse four.
Here's the sense, just insummary of what's being said.
If you feel angry at those whoslander you, remember he's got
these people talking about himwho slander you, which you may
(13:44):
well do.
You may well feel angry.
Then do not sin by seekingrevenge against them.
David here is conscious of thethings in his life that are
unfair.
He's conscious of the thingsthat are painful and he also
(14:09):
knows the temptation in thosemoments to stew.
You know what it's like to stewover things.
He knows what it's like to stewover scenarios of revenge or to
be angry at God for allowing itto happen in the first place.
But notice what he goes on tosay Ponder, the New
(14:32):
International Version sayssearch, search your own hearts
on your beds and be silent.
I think this is reallyinstructive and insightful,
because what this means is thatyour sleepless nights and your
(14:53):
sleeplessness are not a waste oftime.
They are an opportunity forspiritual reflection.
They're an opportunity for youto do business with your heart.
What does that look like?
Well, it looks like when you'rehooked by anxiety and stress
and the circumstances of yourlife or, in this passage
specifically, when you're hookedby anger about something.
(15:14):
David is saying be silent andthink about that anger and don't
stew and come up with scenariosof revenge, but first check
your own heart and see ifthere's any sin in.
You take the log out of your owneye before you rage against the
(15:39):
speck of sawdust in yourspouse's eye or the friend's eye
or a co-worker, start askingquestions, get curious, use that
time as a time to reflect andsay what is going on inside of
me, what is consuming me.
(16:00):
And as we think about anger,normally the questions you need
to ask is what is beingthreatened?
Because you get angry whensomething you love or value is
being taken away or threatenedor damaged.
And so, when you find yourselfangry, ask questions like what
is the thing that I love that isbeing challenged or threatened
(16:23):
or destroyed?
What am I trying to protect?
And, if you want to go deeper,ask what it is that you're sad
about, because your anger oftenreveals that there's some
sadness and grief that you'renot ready or wanting to deal
with.
Use the time in the middle ofthe night, staring at the
(16:46):
ceiling, to be silent and tosearch your own heart.
Secondly, here you see, underthis heading, you need to use
the time to reflect on whatmatters most in life.
Look at verse 6.
To reflect on what matters mostin life Look at verse 6.
There are many who say who willshow us some good.
Lift up the light of your faceupon us, o Lord.
(17:11):
That word good.
There is prosperity, and itgets at material possessions,
success, favorable circumstances.
And so here's what's being said.
There are many people, davidsays, who are looking high and
low for something or someone tomake their life better, looking
(17:33):
for something to show them somegood and provide satisfaction
and fulfillment that their heartis constantly longing for.
David, on the other hand, lookat what he says.
He makes a different request.
He says, god, I just want you,I just want the light of your
face to shine upon me, give meyou your presence and your
(17:57):
blessing in your favor.
And of course, this is echoesof the Aaronic blessing that you
hear me say at the end of theservice from Numbers, chapter
six.
May the Lord's face shine uponyou and be gracious to you.
David knows that real joy andreal blessing and peace come
(18:17):
from knowing God and being lovedby God and being secure in him,
that it is far better thananything on earth and that the
world might offer.
I love verse 7.
Look at that.
You have put more joy in myheart than they have when their
grain and their wine abound.
You see, one of the things thatkeeps us up at night and causes
(18:41):
anxiety and distress is ourpursuit of more.
We want more wealth and betterinvestments, or the right
investment, or to get ahead andto be more successful, or
something that has to do withthe relationship or our
(19:03):
reputation that will fill theache of our souls and give us
some good.
All of us are longing foranything to show us good, and
one of the questions we need tobe asking as we lay there in the
middle of the night is it worthit?
As we lay there in the middleof the night, is it worth it?
(19:24):
The cost, the cost to my familyand the cost to my health is it
worth it?
Because here's the truth youcan pour as much bourbon and
money and sex and houses andcars and promotions and good
grades inside your heart andsoul and that will never do it
for you.
It will not work because thoseare foundations of sand and they
(19:53):
are fragile foundations thatwill never satisfy your soul and
give you the rest and the goodthat you're really after in this
life.
Why?
Because you were built for thelight of God's face to shine
upon you, of God's face to shineupon you.
(20:15):
You were built as a human beingthat in order for your life to
work properly, god has to be atthe center of your life.
It's why Augustine says yourheart will be restless until you
find rest in him.
And that means that when youfind yourself wide awake,
stressed about the pressures ofyour life, remember what you're
(20:38):
really looking for is the lightof God's face.
That's what will give youultimate rest.
And that leads to our lastpoint rest.
And that leads to our lastpoint trust.
Look at verse 8.
In peace, I will lie down andsleep For you alone, lord.
Make me dwell in safety.
I love this.
(20:59):
David says what will help him torest and give him sleep has
nothing to do with his externalcircumstances, but everything to
do with the Lord.
I think this is so interesting,this verse and maybe you know
this verse.
It's often recited at bedtimesand memorized as a bedtime
prayer but it reminds us thatsleep is so much more than
(21:23):
physical, something physicalthat we do.
Sleep is a spiritual thing andin this verse, david is making a
profound statement of faith.
He is saying I can go to sleep,I can lay down and rest because
(21:43):
God is the Lord, he controlsall things, he is my creator and
my protector and I can trusthim.
Sleep reminds us that God is incharge of the world, that he
runs the world, not us, that Godis the creator, who never
(22:04):
sleeps nor slumbers, and we arecreatures who have to sleep in
order to survive and function.
When we lie down to sleep, weacknowledge our dependence upon
God and we exercise faith.
We say in that moment God, youcreated me, you know all of my
(22:25):
anxious thoughts, you watch overme, you love me, you are in
control of all things, and so Ican release my control, I can
release my grip and I can liedown, and I can go to sleep and
pick it up tomorrow, because youalone are God, not my money,
(22:48):
not my success and myachievements.
You, god, make me dwell insafety.
This rhythm of daily sleep alsopoints us to the deeper soul
rest that all of us desperatelyneed.
(23:09):
You see, our hearts are noisy,our souls are noisy and busy,
and part of what drives ourbusyness is we want to be
successful, we want to besignificant.
Or maybe what drives yourbusyness of soul and your
distress is maybe your own sin,your guilt and your shame.
(23:30):
But wherever we are, we alllong, at the end of a long day,
to lay our heads down in silenceand, instead of thinking about
all the things we have to do orneed to be done, or thinking did
I do enough?
All of us long to hear someonesay well done, you're enough.
(23:50):
I love you, you are valuable,it is finished.
That's why the gospel is sogood.
That's why the gospel is suchgood news, because Jesus says
Matthew 11, verse 28, come to me, all you who are weary we could
(24:15):
insert having sleepless nightsfull of anxiety and stress come
to me and I will give rest toyour soul.
Jesus on the cross says what itis finished.
What does that mean?
Jesus on the cross says what itis finished.
What does that mean?
The Bible says that, because ofour sin, our greatest need is
(24:35):
peace with God.
When Jesus says it is finished,he means he's done it all, that
he's done everything throughhis life, death and resurrection
to give you perfect peace andsecurity and to make you right
with God.
Jesus experienced restlessnesson the cross so that you could
(24:57):
have the deep rest of knowingthat God loves you, that you are
valuable to him and that yoursins are forgiven.
And remember when Jesus walksout of the water after his
baptism.
The heavens open up and youhear this voice from heaven that
says you are my beloved son, inwhom I love and in whom I am
(25:24):
well pleased.
If you know Jesus, this morningGod, the Father, speaks those
exact words over you, and youknow what that means.
That means in the middle of thenight, when your anxiety comes
crashing in and whispers lies toyou about your worth, and when
(25:47):
that shame comes crashing in,saying you're not enough, you're
a nobody, you're a loser.
In those moments, be silent andhear the heavens open up, so to
speak, and hear God speakingover you, the words he spoke
(26:07):
over the Lord, jesus Christ.
I love you.
You're enough, you're more thanokay.
You're my child and I am proudof you and I am well pleased
with you.
(26:28):
Friends, you got that.
You'll sleep.
I don't care if you get eighthours a night, I don't care if
you have the best sleep score inthe world.
If you don't have that, if youdon't have that deep soul rest
that can only be found in Jesusand his work on your behalf, if
(26:51):
you don't have that, you willnot truly rest.
That's the rest we'reultimately after, the peace and
rest that we're desperatelylonging for, and every night we
lay our heads down on ourpillows.
And every night we lay ourheads down on our pillows, we
remember that in that simple actit is a picture of the profound
(27:20):
rest of soul that we have inthe gospel.
So the next time you findyourself wide awake 2.30 in the
morning and you start down thespiral of rehearsing all your
worries from the day and worriesof your life, reach out for God
, reflect on your own heart andwhat's going on inside of you
(27:42):
and, lastly, trust in God'sprovision, in the Lord Jesus
Christ.
Friends, if God is willing todie for you, you can trust him
with everything.
Give it to him.
Will you come to Jesus thismorning?
He's way better than you think.
Amen, let's pray.
(28:03):
Father, thank you for being aGod who hears us when we call.
Father, thank you for being aGod who hears us when we call.
Would you forgive us for tryingto find good and so many
created things down here insteadof finding it and looking for
it in you and Holy Spirit, Ipray that you would help us to
(28:29):
experience now, especially as wecome to this table, the light
of your face on us, so that wemight live in freedom and peace
and lie down in that freedom andpeace.
Would you help us In Jesus'name amen.
If you have a copy of God's Word, turn to the Psalms.
We're going to look at Psalm 4this morning, so go to the
center of your Bible Psalmchapter 4.
This Psalm Psalm 4, is known asa personal lament, and this
Psalm is part of the largestcategory of the book of Psalms,
(00:21):
which is Psalms of lament.
They make up about 40 percentof the largest category of the
book of Psalms, which is Psalmsof Lament.
They make up about 40% of thePsalms, and I think that's
really significant because thattells us that God's people were
often sad.
This particular Psalm reflectson the mental anguish and the
(00:42):
anxiety that often comes over usat night when we're getting
ready to go to bed.
David, the author, isexperiencing something that is
so stressful that he'sstruggling to sleep, and he
experiences this and he sharesthat experience with us so that
(01:06):
you and I might learn thismorning how to lie down in peace
and go to sleep.
We're going to read this psalmtogether as we do Listen, watch
for the progression from anxietyand distress to peace and sleep
(01:27):
.
Follow along with me.
This is God's Word, psalm 4.
Answer me when I call O, god ofmy righteousness.
You have given me relief when Iwas in distress.
Be gracious to me and hear myprayer.
O men, how long shall my honorbe turned into shame?
How long will you love vainwords and seek after lies, but
(01:51):
know that the Lord has set apartthe godly for himself?
The Lord hears when I call tohim.
Be angry and do not sin.
Ponder in your own hearts, onyour own beds, and be silent.
Offer right sacrifices and putyour trust in the Lord.
There are many who say who willshow us some good?
(02:14):
Lift up the light of your faceupon us, o Lord.
You have put more joy in myheart than they have when their
grain and wine abound.
In peace, I will both lie downand sleep For you alone, o Lord.
(02:34):
Make me dwell in safety.
Let's pray and let's ask forthe Holy Spirit to come and help
us as we listen to the wordpreached, but also to help me as
I preach this morning.
Let's pray together.
Father, we do need your help.
You've brought us here on thisfirst Sunday of June and I pray
(02:57):
that you would give each one ofus, wherever we find ourselves
this morning, something that wecan lock onto so that we can get
through another week.
Give us something thatstrengthens our faith, that
ministers to our soul.
Would you enable me to preachwith boldness and clarity this
(03:18):
morning, and, more than anything, would we encounter the Lord
Jesus Christ in all of his gloryand goodness, so that we leave
here differently?
That is our prayer.
We're not just saying that wewant to leave here different
people, and we can't do that onour own.
We need your help, and soplease come and do it In Jesus'
(03:40):
name, amen.
Sleepless nights have you hadthose before?
I've had many of those.
In the early morning you findyourself staring at the ceiling,
wide awake, can't getcomfortable, you toss and you
(04:03):
turn.
You wake up.
Maybe you can't go back tosleep.
Your mind starts spiraling,you're racing, you're thinking
about the difficult situation atwork, maybe it's something in
the news that has causeddistress in you and you can't go
to sleep.
Maybe it's the mounting to-dolist, the financial pressure,
(04:25):
the doctor's appointment, thewaiting for the test results,
the hard conversation conflictthat you have, maybe with one of
your children or your spouse,or a friend, or a student.
If you are a student, maybeit's the test that you have
tomorrow or the big presentationthat counts a really big
(04:47):
percentage of your grade.
Whatever it is you can't sleep.
You try counting sheep, you trysmart watches to track your
sleep, meditation apps, deepbreathing exercises, sound
machines, melatonin sleep mask,prescription sleeping medication
(05:12):
.
Yet despite all the technologyand techniques, sleep often
remains elusive when we need itthe most.
It's often really difficult, isit not to quiet a noisy and
busy heart and mind?
Maybe this morning you say well, I don't have any clue what
(05:34):
you're talking about.
I sleep just fine.
I said that too when I wasyoung.
Then I hit middle age and lifegot a whole lot more complicated
.
I had a whole lot more thingsto start worrying about and to
be concerned with, and thebrokenness and the pressure of
(05:55):
the world got a lot closer and alot more personal.
Even this morning, if yourcircumstances never impact your
sleep, all of us have had theexperience of being anxious and
stressed and longing for peaceand rest.
All of us have longed to hearthe words it is finished at the
(06:18):
end of a long day, but insteadthere's always one more thing to
do and thoughts continue toswarm in our hearts and in our
heads and make us restless.
Psalm 4 speaks to that.
It speaks to that experiencebecause thousands of years ago,
king David was facing asleepless night of his own and
(06:42):
the pressure of his life and thestress of his life came pushing
in on him and he discoveredthat peaceful sleep was not
found in reaching out fortechnology and techniques, but
reaching out for God.
The God who never sleeps andwho never slumbers.
(07:04):
The God who never sleeps andwho never slumbers.
Psalm 4 gives us a roadmap thattakes us from distress to rest,
from anxious worry to peacefulsleep and trust.
To quiet our noisy hearts atbedtime we need three things.
(07:25):
We need to pray number one,you're a note taker.
Secondly, we need to reflect.
Lastly, we need to trust.
Pray, reflect, trust.
That's where we're headed.
Let's look at our first headingpray.
(07:46):
Normally in the Psalms, if youlook above the Psalm that you're
reading, you'll see a littlephrase.
You get it in Psalm 3.
If you have your Bible open,you can look at that.
It'll say something that givesyou the context.
It'll say a Psalm of David whenhe was fleeing from his son or
whatever.
We don't have that in Psalm 4,so we don't know the exact
context of what was happeningwith David that led him to write
this Psalm, but we do know he'sin distress.
(08:09):
That's obvious.
Look at verse 2.
His reputation is under attack.
His honor is being turned intoshame.
Political opponents arespreading lies about him.
Pressure was mounting.
Sleep seemed impossible.
Look at verse 1.
(08:31):
The word relief and stress arereally interesting.
The word relief suggestscreating space or room to
breathe because you're socompressed by the pressures and
circumstances of life.
By the pressures andcircumstances of life, the word
(08:52):
distress means to be hemmed inor backed into a corner.
I don't know about you, butthat's a frightening picture To
think about.
David feels in this moment likehe's suffocating.
He feels claustrophobic.
He feels like the walls areclosing in on him and he cannot
breathe.
And we've all felt those thingsand feel those things
(09:15):
particularly at night, in thedark, in the silence of the
night, when you feel mostvulnerable and you are preparing
to go to sleep.
It's in those moments that theanxiety seems to have so much
power and that power seems togrow at night, when you are
(09:39):
lying in your bed, you go tosleep and it seems like the
weight of the world comescrashing in on you, all of your
fears and worries and stress ofthe day that you just finished,
and then you start thinkingabout all you have to do
tomorrow and the day after that,and it seems to back you into a
corner.
When your head hits the pillow,you feel cornered by it all and
(10:07):
in that moment, notice whatDavid does.
He doesn't run from it.
That's what I often do, and ifyou try to run from it, that
actually makes it worse andwe've all had those experiences.
David doesn't run, he doesn'treach out for a technique or
(10:32):
technology, he reaches out forGod and he prays.
He prays to God, his anxietyand his pain and his
circumstances.
Look at verse 1.
Answer me.
It's very strong.
Answer me when I call O God ofmy righteousness, be gracious
and hear my prayer.
(10:52):
Notice a couple of things.
David doesn't approach God onhis own goodness, but on the
righteousness of God.
Also, notice the desperationhere.
Answer me, hear my prayer.
God, lord, please show up anddo something.
(11:13):
He's praying honestly and he'sacknowledging and putting words
to what's going on inside of himin the moment.
What does David pray?
Look at verse 3.
But know the Lord has set apartthe godly for himself.
David is praying truth back toGod.
(11:33):
He says God, I belong to you,you have claimed me and you have
made me your own.
Therefore, look at the secondhalf of verse 3,.
You will hear me when I call.
Do you see how that is working?
He's desperate.
(11:54):
He starts reflecting on truthGod cares for his own, and that
desperate prayer becomes a boldstatement of confidence.
Lord you not might, will hearme.
The Lord hears me when I call.
(12:15):
The very act of remindinghimself of God's character
strengthened his soul when hisheart was noisy and loud and
restless.
When your mind starts racingand you start rehearsing the
worries of the day, reach outfor God.
(12:37):
Let bedtime become a sanctuary,not a torture chamber.
Let bedtime be a time where youtransform your worries into
worship.
You find yourself backed in acorner.
Instead of counting sheep, howabout we start counting the
(13:02):
promises of God, counting andlooking at the character of God,
crying out in prayer to the Godwho never sleeps, who's always
awake and who will hear you andis listening in the middle of
the night when you can't sleep.
Pray to him.
(13:22):
You have a God who always hearsyou and is always listening.
Secondly, reflect.
Here's the sense.
Look at verse four.
Here's the sense, just insummary of what's being said.
If you feel angry at those whoslander you, remember he's got
these people talking about himwho slander you, which you may
(13:44):
well do.
You may well feel angry.
Then do not sin by seekingrevenge against them.
David here is conscious of thethings in his life that are
unfair.
He's conscious of the thingsthat are painful and he also
(14:09):
knows the temptation in thosemoments to stew.
You know what it's like to stewover things.
He knows what it's like to stewover scenarios of revenge or to
be angry at God for allowing itto happen in the first place.
But notice what he goes on tosay Ponder, the New
(14:32):
International Version sayssearch, search your own hearts
on your beds and be silent.
I think this is reallyinstructive and insightful,
because what this means is thatyour sleepless nights and your
(14:53):
sleeplessness are not a waste oftime.
They are an opportunity forspiritual reflection.
They're an opportunity for youto do business with your heart.
What does that look like?
Well, it looks like when you'rehooked by anxiety and stress
and the circumstances of yourlife or, in this passage
specifically, when you're hookedby anger about something.
(15:14):
David is saying be silent andthink about that anger and don't
stew and come up with scenariosof revenge, but first check
your own heart and see ifthere's any sin in.
You take the log out of your owneye before you rage against the
(15:39):
speck of sawdust in yourspouse's eye or the friend's eye
or a co-worker, start askingquestions, get curious, use that
time as a time to reflect andsay what is going on inside of
me, what is consuming me.
(16:00):
And as we think about anger,normally the questions you need
to ask is what is beingthreatened?
Because you get angry whensomething you love or value is
being taken away or threatenedor damaged.
And so, when you find yourselfangry, ask questions like what
is the thing that I love that isbeing challenged or threatened
(16:23):
or destroyed?
What am I trying to protect?
And, if you want to go deeper,ask what it is that you're sad
about, because your anger oftenreveals that there's some
sadness and grief that you'renot ready or wanting to deal
with.
Use the time in the middle ofthe night, staring at the
(16:46):
ceiling, to be silent and tosearch your own heart.
Secondly, here you see, underthis heading, you need to use
the time to reflect on whatmatters most in life.
Look at verse 6.
To reflect on what matters mostin life Look at verse 6.
There are many who say who willshow us some good.
Lift up the light of your faceupon us, o Lord.
(17:11):
That word good.
There is prosperity, and itgets at material possessions,
success, favorable circumstances.
And so here's what's being said.
There are many people, davidsays, who are looking high and
low for something or someone tomake their life better, looking
(17:33):
for something to show them somegood and provide satisfaction
and fulfillment that their heartis constantly longing for.
David, on the other hand, lookat what he says.
He makes a different request.
He says, god, I just want you,I just want the light of your
face to shine upon me, give meyou your presence and your
(17:57):
blessing in your favor.
And of course, this is echoesof the Aaronic blessing that you
hear me say at the end of theservice from Numbers, chapter
six.
May the Lord's face shine uponyou and be gracious to you.
David knows that real joy andreal blessing and peace come
(18:17):
from knowing God and being lovedby God and being secure in him,
that it is far better thananything on earth and that the
world might offer.
I love verse 7.
Look at that.
You have put more joy in myheart than they have when their
grain and their wine abound.
You see, one of the things thatkeeps us up at night and causes
(18:41):
anxiety and distress is ourpursuit of more.
We want more wealth and betterinvestments, or the right
investment, or to get ahead andto be more successful, or
something that has to do withthe relationship or our
(19:03):
reputation that will fill theache of our souls and give us
some good.
All of us are longing foranything to show us good, and
one of the questions we need tobe asking as we lay there in the
middle of the night is it worthit?
As we lay there in the middleof the night, is it worth it?
(19:24):
The cost, the cost to my familyand the cost to my health is it
worth it?
Because here's the truth youcan pour as much bourbon and
money and sex and houses andcars and promotions and good
grades inside your heart andsoul and that will never do it
for you.
It will not work because thoseare foundations of sand and they
(19:53):
are fragile foundations thatwill never satisfy your soul and
give you the rest and the goodthat you're really after in this
life.
Why?
Because you were built for thelight of God's face to shine
upon you, of God's face to shineupon you.
(20:15):
You were built as a human beingthat in order for your life to
work properly, god has to be atthe center of your life.
It's why Augustine says yourheart will be restless until you
find rest in him.
And that means that when youfind yourself wide awake,
stressed about the pressures ofyour life, remember what you're
(20:38):
really looking for is the lightof God's face.
That's what will give youultimate rest.
And that leads to our lastpoint rest.
And that leads to our lastpoint trust.
Look at verse 8.
In peace, I will lie down andsleep For you alone, lord.
Make me dwell in safety.
I love this.
(20:59):
David says what will help him torest and give him sleep has
nothing to do with his externalcircumstances, but everything to
do with the Lord.
I think this is so interesting,this verse and maybe you know
this verse.
It's often recited at bedtimesand memorized as a bedtime
prayer but it reminds us thatsleep is so much more than
(21:23):
physical, something physicalthat we do.
Sleep is a spiritual thing andin this verse, david is making a
profound statement of faith.
He is saying I can go to sleep,I can lay down and rest because
(21:43):
God is the Lord, he controlsall things, he is my creator and
my protector and I can trusthim.
Sleep reminds us that God is incharge of the world, that he
runs the world, not us, that Godis the creator, who never
(22:04):
sleeps nor slumbers, and we arecreatures who have to sleep in
order to survive and function.
When we lie down to sleep, weacknowledge our dependence upon
God and we exercise faith.
We say in that moment God, youcreated me, you know all of my
(22:25):
anxious thoughts, you watch overme, you love me, you are in
control of all things, and so Ican release my control, I can
release my grip and I can liedown, and I can go to sleep and
pick it up tomorrow, because youalone are God, not my money,
(22:48):
not my success and myachievements.
You, god, make me dwell insafety.
This rhythm of daily sleep alsopoints us to the deeper soul
rest that all of us desperatelyneed.
(23:09):
You see, our hearts are noisy,our souls are noisy and busy,
and part of what drives ourbusyness is we want to be
successful, we want to besignificant.
Or maybe what drives yourbusyness of soul and your
distress is maybe your own sin,your guilt and your shame.
(23:30):
But wherever we are, we alllong, at the end of a long day,
to lay our heads down in silenceand, instead of thinking about
all the things we have to do orneed to be done, or thinking did
I do enough?
All of us long to hear someonesay well done, you're enough.
(23:50):
I love you, you are valuable,it is finished.
That's why the gospel is sogood.
That's why the gospel is suchgood news, because Jesus says
Matthew 11, verse 28, come to me, all you who are weary we could
(24:15):
insert having sleepless nightsfull of anxiety and stress come
to me and I will give rest toyour soul.
Jesus on the cross says what itis finished.
What does that mean?
Jesus on the cross says what itis finished.
What does that mean?
The Bible says that, because ofour sin, our greatest need is
(24:35):
peace with God.
When Jesus says it is finished,he means he's done it all, that
he's done everything throughhis life, death and resurrection
to give you perfect peace andsecurity and to make you right
with God.
Jesus experienced restlessnesson the cross so that you could
(24:57):
have the deep rest of knowingthat God loves you, that you are
valuable to him and that yoursins are forgiven.
And remember when Jesus walksout of the water after his
baptism.
The heavens open up and youhear this voice from heaven that
says you are my beloved son, inwhom I love and in whom I am
(25:24):
well pleased.
If you know Jesus, this morningGod, the Father, speaks those
exact words over you, and youknow what that means.
That means in the middle of thenight, when your anxiety comes
crashing in and whispers lies toyou about your worth, and when
(25:47):
that shame comes crashing in,saying you're not enough, you're
a nobody, you're a loser.
In those moments, be silent andhear the heavens open up, so to
speak, and hear God speakingover you, the words he spoke
(26:07):
over the Lord, jesus Christ.
I love you.
You're enough, you're more thanokay.
You're my child and I am proudof you and I am well pleased
with you.
(26:28):
Friends, you got that.
You'll sleep.
I don't care if you get eighthours a night, I don't care if
you have the best sleep score inthe world.
If you don't have that, if youdon't have that deep soul rest
that can only be found in Jesusand his work on your behalf, if
(26:51):
you don't have that, you willnot truly rest.
That's the rest we'reultimately after, the peace and
rest that we're desperatelylonging for, and every night we
lay our heads down on ourpillows.
And every night we lay ourheads down on our pillows, we
remember that in that simple actit is a picture of the profound
(27:20):
rest of soul that we have inthe gospel.
So the next time you findyourself wide awake 2.30 in the
morning and you start down thespiral of rehearsing all your
worries from the day and worriesof your life, reach out for God
, reflect on your own heart andwhat's going on inside of you
(27:42):
and, lastly, trust in God'sprovision, in the Lord Jesus
Christ.
Friends, if God is willing todie for you, you can trust him
with everything.
Give it to him.
Will you come to Jesus thismorning?
He's way better than you think.
Amen, let's pray.
(28:03):
Father, thank you for being aGod who hears us when we call.
Father, thank you for being aGod who hears us when we call.
Would you forgive us for tryingto find good and so many
created things down here insteadof finding it and looking for
it in you and Holy Spirit, Ipray that you would help us to
(28:29):
experience now, especially as wecome to this table, the light
of your face on us, so that wemight live in freedom and peace
and lie down in that freedom andpeace.
Would you help us In Jesus'name amen.
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