The world is a sinful place. Christians, more than ever, are starting to realize that in light of recent news about mass shootings, the propagation of sinful acts such as homosexuality and the cultural acceptance of such, the ever changing mindset toward the taking of innocent lives and even the apparent disgust toward all that is Holy. But even though our world in 2013 is sinful, it has always been since the fall of man from the Garden (Gen. 3). And in the time of David the children of God, our brethren in a sense, were going through much the same things minus the social media and technology of today. That being said, God has given us some pointers, if you will, on dealing with these sorts of evil deeds and how to keep ourselves pure in the darkness of the world (cf. James 1:27). 

Do Not Fret - Psalm 37:1-2
     Sometimes the hardest thing a Christian has to do is leave a person to their own and cease to try to convert them or see the ungodly prospering alongside, or above, himself, knowing that he is doing the will of the Father and his neighbor is doing the will of himself. "Fretting" in many of our minds brings us to the thought of a mother sitting by the window as her child is off on his first drive alone after getting his license or a person sitting down to balance the checking account and realizing that his outgo is more than is income, but that isn't what is conveyed in this passage. The Hebrew word, according to Strong's, means "to glow or grow warm; figuratively to blaze up, of anger, zeal or jealousy." The encouragement given by the once King of Judah is to not become angry when we see the ungodly! That's difficult when we are told to put away sinful acts with "malice" (Ephesians 4:31). It all comes back to the saying, "Love the sinner and hate the sin." It's extremely challenging for the faithful Christian to look out at this world while suffering and struggling through life and see the wicked going about their business seemingly happy and not having a clue what is in store for them! That's the reason Christ stressed reaching those people with the Gospel (Mark 16:15-16). 

Delight - Psalm 37:4
    This is the best part in the entire passage, I think. David is speaking to people that are simply getting disgusted with sin to the point of physical anger and he simply says, "Delight yourself also in the Lord." What a statement! In a sense he is saying, "Stop looking out and look up! Don't you realize that you are the richest, healthiest, most well off person in the universe? You're a child of God!" True happiness is hard to come by in today's world just as it was when David sat down to pen the thirty seventh psalm. That is one of the reasons why Christ had to come to earth, to give mankind a glimmer of hope and the true happiness that only comes from being a child of God (John 10:10). Instead of the worry, anger and distrust that we gather from our surroundings, we have happiness knowing that God is right there watching and caring for us in every way we need. 

Commit - Psalm 37:5-6
    But, that delight and trust only comes through committing your life to serving the one true God of the universe. Commitment, a word despised today in light of the post-modern society in which we live, isn't simply making the mental or verbal acknowledgment of allegiance but is rather, as the Hebrew word suggests, "rolling the burden of life upon the Lord (Treasury of David, Spurgeon)." It is realizing that you can't carry the weight of this life alone and if you try you will be squished under the immense burden. It gives the idea of letting God handle certain things, giving your life to Him to control and carry. That is a daunting task at times because no person really wants to have to rely solely on someone else for their existence, but that is what God wants. We want to do it our way and be able to handle everything but we can't and when we realize that fact God is standing right beside us begging us to let Him help. If one were to look through history, especially the divine history given to us in the Old Testament (cf. Romans 15:4), he would see God always helping His creation even when we really didn't want help, like when we killed the Christ even though He was here to help. 

Rest - Psalm 37:7
    When we give our lives to God in obedience to His word and trust in His love and mercy, and only when we do these things, we will have rest. We won't have to worry about the physical needs (cf. Matthew 6:33) because He will provide. We won't have to get angry when we see sinners living lives of apparent luxury because we will realize their joy is temporary and superficial. We won't even have to worry if we are faithfully living a godly life because God is there telling us just how to do it (2 Peter 1:3). That is true rest!

Cease from Anger - Psalm 37:8
    And, finally, when we have that peace of God that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7) we will cease to be angry at the outside world because we won't be worried about what they are doing but will be meditating on what God is doing! After all, anger "only causes harm (Psalm 3

In response to that question, the psalmist makes a wonderful statement that I think would help every Christian to realize and even pray today. He didn't say, "There is no good" and he didn't say "You have to be the good that people see." What he said was, 

I think that is profound. David realized that the only way a person can see good is by looking to God. Why? Because everything good is from Him (James 1:17) and therefore we are going to have to realize that He alone is going to be able to give us hope! That's some serious security there, that regardless of all the bad in the world He's here for us to see. 

     But, while "seeing" God, understanding that the phrase is used in a figurative sense (John 1:18), produces hope and security it isn't all we have. He's also our source of gladness for a multiplicity of reasons

1. He washed us, Christians, from our sins thereby taking away all the horror of living through eternity without him (Revelation 1:5, Acts 22:16, Hebrews 10:31, Romans 6:17). 
2. He gave us His divine word so that we can live a life characterized by good and abundance, realizing that the Christian life is the only one that can make a person truly happy on earth (John 10:10, 2 Timothy 3:16-17). 
3. He gave us the church, the group of children of God that work and live together for edification (Hebrews 10:24:25, 1 Corinthians 14:26). 

     
     Just like when we get together at Christmas or some other family gathering and we eat until we hurt produces gladness, God does the same but even more so (Psalm 4:7b). If you know me you know that I love food and I love having people to our house to eat but even if the table were full of wonderful delights there would still be something missing without God. 

     The security of God, with all of its gladness and hope is the best thing that anything has to offer! To the point that, instead of having to watch over our shoulders day and night we can "lie down in peace and sleep" (Psalm 4:8) because we know that God is there, He is ours and we are His. 

    The verse under discussion in this episode of our series on Psalm 4 is one of tremendous meaning and implication towards our Christian walk. Taking into consideration the gravity of all spoken of in verses one through three of this Psalm, it becomes very clear as to what David was encouraging those to whom he was writing to embody in their lives. 

Change their Attitudes
    So far in our study of Psalm 4 we have been introduced to a group of people, otherwise known as the ungodly, that are wholly set on personal pleasures and ideals (click here for our study of verse 2). We have also been introduced to a group of people that are the direct contradiction of such philosophy (click here for our study of verse 3) and even to that groups thoughts and prayers toward God (click here for our study of verse 1). Through these earlier studies, one thing has become very apparent, mindsets are important. Whether it is the mindset of the faithful child of God who is longing to speak with his Lord and has understood his difference from the world, or it is the mindset of the faithless individual who does whatever he set his mind to do regardless of the Lord's precepts. 

    That being said, the attitude or mindset spoken of at the beginning of verse 4 the that of the latter individual. Anger is something that is not, in and of itself, sinful for the righteous to feel. However, when anger is not controlled it can easily lead to sin! A person sees someone stealing a prized possession from him and instead of being angry with that individual in a godly manner, enacts physical harm on the person with hatred and malice. Another person gets short changed at a restaurant and instead of being angry to the point of pointing it out to the waitress and, peacefully, asking to be compensated he berates the server with hurtful words. Anger is useful, for it produces within a person a mindset to make a wrong a right but it is dangerous in that it often causes that person to go beyond what is allowed by the Father and into the realm of sin. 

    David pleads with the one searching for God to understand the difference and change his attitude to that of what might be called "righteous anger" instead of the easily provoked anger found running wild in our world. 

Change their Affections
    Next the psalmist makes a very pointed, not that the first was not, statement about the affections of those to whom he was writing. He commands them, by inspiration of course, to "meditate on" or to challenge, charge, consider or certify their actions and previous ideals. He declares that this is to be done in the heart of the individual, because it is very clear that the heart is, figuratively of course (since it is not the actual organ under consideration), the motivating factor in a person's actions and intents. So, David wants his contemporaries, and all those afar off, to think about and scrutinize how they have been living their lives. 
    
    Isn't that what we do when we go and preach Christ to the world? We beg them to think about what they are doing to themselves, because of their personal sins, their family and friends, because of their actions or reputations, and their God, because of the hurt done to God when His child rebels against Him. David wanted his friends to change their affections, leaving the loves that they once had (anything in opposition to God, v. 2) and start loving all that is godly! That is what it means to become a child of God. It's more than just a change of attitude, it's a change of affections to that which is above, namely Heaven (Colossians 3:2). 


Change their Actions
    Finally, David commands those searching for God to "offer the sacrifices of righteousness." While this most likely describes the sacrifices of the Old Testament done at the Temple for the sins of the person, today it has a very special meaning to us under the New Testament's direction as well. Our sacrifices, done with the correct attitude and affections, are both numerous and worth while. What a person does in accordance with his beliefs in God and His word is vital to his salvation. James 2:17 says, 

    Therefore, just because our attitude is correct and we love our Father in Heaven it does not mean that we are pleasing to Him. We must accompany that love and mindset with godly actions, done in accordance with His divine commands. Jesus Christ said it like this, 

    When we do this and we combine the correct attitude, affections and actions we do something magnificent. - WE PUT OUR TRUST IN THE LORD! 

    That's what David wanted his readers to understand. He wanted them to realize, like we studied before, that their way of doing things wasn't worth it. He wanted them to realize there was something more to this life than just pleasing ourselves. He wanted them to think about what they were doing to themselves and their God and fix it. He wanted them to join him in the congregation of people known as those who are sanctified. 

    Sanctification, it's one of those "Christianese" words (the words Christians use and understand, mostly, but outsiders really have no idea what they mean). I'd be willing to guess that the majority of people claiming Christianity don't even know what this word means! It's a hard one! Especially when we are inundated with false doctrines regarding "saints" today by the biggest "Christian" group, the Catholic Church. When any word remotely sounds like the word saint people start conjuring up thoughts of statues and images depicted St. So-And-So the patron saint cliche names. But, what does the word really mean? What does it portray? Why has God decided to call His children those who have been "sanctified (1 Corinthians 6:11)"?

    First off, let me say that it is extremely sad to me that so many people don't know the meaning of this word and the connection it has to the Christian! Hopefully I will be able to provide a small glimpse into the word during this article so as to aid in an understanding of just some of the blessings that are said to be in Christ (Ephesians 1:3), because they all stem from "sanctification."

    The Bible holds within its pages 137 matches to the words "sanctify," "sanctified," and "sanctification" and even more if you were to consider phrases, like in our main text (Psalm 4:3), that have the meaning but not the exact word. The first time referring all the way back to the 7th day that ever existed. God is said to have "sanctified" the seventh day which would later be known as the Sabbath Day, or the day of rest (Genesis 2:3). The last time speaking of those who were Christians and made that way by God the Father, those who were "preserved" in Christ (Jude 1). So, this idea has been around since the beginning and is still alive and well some 6,500 years later during the Christian age! What a wonderful thought, but only if we actually know what it means!

    Alright, enough introduction, WHAT DOES SANCTIFICATION MEAN! - It means exactly what David wrote in Psalm 4:3, "set apart." Now, the word in Psalm 4:3 is a different word than that of Genesis 2:3 but the English word carries the same meaning. God "set apart" the 7th day and made it special just as David states God had "set apart" for Himself those who are godly and made them special! 

    We're special? How in the world are those that are godly special compared to those who are not (also known as those spoken to in verse 2 of Psalm 4)? 

    It's easy, and it's all found in the 2 words directly proceeding the phrase "set apart" in Psalm 4:3. We were set aside, made special, put on a pedestal for God! Peter said it like this, 

    But Lee, David was speaking about Jews and Peter was speaking about Christians! - They sure were, but in their respective times these groups to whom they were speaking were the chosen people of God. And since we are still called to be Christians through obedience to the Gospel and being disciples of Christ (Matthew 11:28-29, 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9, Acts 11:26), we are to be the special people Peter was talking to! 

    How are we special? Let's read it again straight from the pen of Peter, "...that you may proclaim the praises ofHim who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9)." Isn't that what David said way back in Psalm 4? - "The Lord has set apart for Himself him who is godly." What's it mean to be "godly"? It means, according to Strong's, "(religiously) pious" or, according to the Dictionary.com app, "conforming to the laws and wishes of God; devout; pious." There it is again! It all relates back to following God's LAWS. That's who we are set apart, that's how we proclaim (show) the praises of God to the world, that's how we are godly.

    Sanctification means you follow God's laws and then you're special, and people will see that special nature you have received through your outward actions based upon your beliefs (your "religion," James 1:21-27). Sanctification carries the entire weight of being a Christian! It denotes a person completely set on obeying God regardless of his own ideas or preconceived beliefs. It makes a person special!

    Continuing our study of Psalm 4 we come to verse 2. On the heels of a wonderful statement about prayer (v. 1) the psalmist, David, now turns his attention from the Lord to the losers of this world. I know the term "loser" is a bit of a buzz word but I can't think of another thing to label them as. It takes a special kind of person to look at a child of God and do these things to him like David was having to endure. These people had rejected God's word and His way of righteousness for that which is "worthless." They had attempted to follow their own ways in this life, not realizing that they were losing the very thing God had given them in the first place, their souls. 
    
    It is remarkable to me to think about myself before I became a Christian. I was one of these men! I was seeking out false doctrines, thinking them to be Truth. I was loving the worthless things of this world, thinking I had it all. I had a nice car, nice apartment, was going to school for something I loved (and still love), had a good number of friends and was going to parties and socializing every night of the week, I even had some nice things to fill that apartment. Yeah, I was a poor college kid, but I thought I had it made! I wonder what the lives of these individuals were to whom David was speaking in Psalm 4:2. Were they like I was back then? I have a feeling they were because the vast majority of those outside of Christ are the same way today, they think they have it all. Don't believe me? Go into your neighborhood and knock on a few doors. When the residents answer ask them if they are happy in their lives. I bet the majority will say something to the effect of, "Yeah, I'm pretty happy. I mean, I wish I could make some more money or could have better relationships with my friends or family but overall I'm happy." Now ask them, "Are you happy with your relationship to God?" I have a feeling that the majority, again, will say yes. What they don't know is they shouldn't be happy in their lives or their relationships with God because they don't have either one (cf. John 10:10)! If they really knew they would be ashamed of their actions. If they really understood they would leave the worthless world and turn to the worthy Lord. 

    Think about it, David was a righteous man (1 Sam. 13:14) who wrote Psalm 1 so he would have had religious people all around him in places of counsel. He had his good friend Nathan beside him (cf. 2 Sam. 12). And yet he was still aware that the world as a whole was against God and didn't care about the truth but wanted to follow after their own ways of pleasing God which would result in nothing more than vain worship (Rom. 1:18-21). So because of this David wanted to ask the world, "How long are you going to try it your way to no avail?"


    So the question is, how long are you? He has the way and He's given it to us, so how long are you going to sit there and try to tell yourself that everything is ok when you're really just loving worthlessness and looking for falsehoods?

In the next five weeks we are going to study through Psalm 4, breaking it into short lessons using each of its individual thoughts, as it were. This week, Psalm 4:1 will be our study.

The Plea
    Last week’s study revolved around the word of God, because it is the basis and source for all righteousness. Without it there is no ability for mankind to be pleasing to God (cf. Romans 1). I find it interesting that God has chosen to speak to His creation through the written word today (cf. 2 Pet. 1:3, 2 Tim. 3:16-17) instead of speaking to us individually. I wonder if the reason for such is His foresight into what our world would become 2,000 years after Christ, a world in which post-modernism and relativism are rampant. I’m not so sure why He chose to do away with the avenue of revelation by which He spoke to mankind throughout the ages, but I know He did. That being said, I’m so happy that He has continued to allow us to speak to Him through prayer! The first and last part of this psalm give an insight into the mind of the person seeking to speak to his God and put his petitions before the Almighty.

    In it I notice a deep longing for David to have the ear of God. I know that all of the prayers of human beings reach the ears of God whether the person is righteous or unrighteous (cf. Acts 10:4, 1 John 1:9), but it’s different to have His attention. I like to think of God’s “prayer-box” much like an email inbox with all of the prayers of the individuals the world over chiming in every second of the day and while the Lord will read those messages He is not obligated to respond. But the prayer of the righteous man, the one portrayed in the first verse of Psalm 4 is flagged “important” and the Lord will make sure to read and respond to that email as soon as He, the all-knowing deity that He is, sees fit.

    In this section of Scripture is found the earnestness that ought to be prevalent in every prayer that we offer up to God! David is pleading with the Father to understand his position, even though He already does, to “have mercy” (or provide a way of escape) on him and to mark his request as urgent in his “prayer-box”. Maybe there’s not as much there as I am placing, but should every prayer consist of these things? I’m afraid that sometimes when I pray I do quickly and what may amount to meaninglessly because I do not have the correct mindset needed to approach the throne of the Creator in prayer.

The Pleasure
  Although the psalmist seems to be in deep distress during this entire psalm, there is a wonderful sense of pleasure in the first verse.

    First, he declares his knowledge that God is the source for his ability to perform righteous acts in this life, “O God of my righteousness!” This is missed by many people today. In our culture of self gratification and “picking oneself up by the boot straps” we tend to forget that the good works we do, while done of our of volition and planning often, are done because of two things. 1) God granted us the time on this earth and the ability to complete that task, using His providence throughout. 2) If it was a good work, the command came from God. He might have left the way by which to do it up to us, but the idea came from Him.

    Second, notice the first phrase of the second sentence – “You have relieved me in my distress…” I wonder what distress David was speaking of when he penned these words? It doesn’t really matter though because everyone that is a member of the body of Christ has been relieved in one time of distress, the time we realized that we were without salvation from our sins. God relieves us in a number of ways and in a number of situations, but the one we all have in common is when we approached Him for salvation through obedience to the Gospel of Jesus Christ (cf. 1 Pet. 3:21). It is through that obedience that God gave us the most marvelous gift anyone has ever received, the ability to say, “I am saved, I am a child of God and I am special!”

     With just a cursory Google search you can find hundreds of images that read, "There are two types of people in this world..." with some funny, catchy or even degrading thing to follow. And while some of those are true, like "There are two types of people in this world: those who have a plan for the zombie apocalypse and dinner" those memes are nothing more than things meant to make people laugh and fill the Facebook feeds of the world. However, Psalm 1 actually defines the two types of people that are in this world; the godly and the godless. As we start our weekly study of the book of Psalms I thought it appropriate to start with the first chapter and understand the two categories into which every person fits. First, read Psalm 1!

   The Godly - Psalm 1:1-3
     If you were to take a study of the entire population of the world and ask them the definition of the word "blessed" chances are you would get an overwhelming majority answer "happy." While it's true that to be blessed is to be content with your place in life and joyful of your surroundings, that isn't the best definition of the word. There are two verses that give us a better insight into the true meaning of this word Psalm 2:12 and Psalm 32:1-2. In Psalm 2:12 the psalmist is attempting to encourage the leaders of government to take heed to the instructions from God (Psalm 2:10-12) and that they must "trust" Him for guidance. Doesn't that show a tremendous relationship between the person and the Creator? So "blessed" has with it the idea of a relationship that results from obedience! But, Psalm 31:1-2 is speaking of salvation, "Blessed is he whose transgression [sin, LMS] is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute [count, LMS] iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit." Taking both verses into consideration, along with the definition of the original word (happiness, Strong's) one can easily see that to be blessed is to be joyful based upon obedience to God's commands and salvation from one's sins. That is going to come into play when we study the rest of this section!

     Let's think of verse 1 as a conditional statement, because it is. If a person considers his counsel (friendships, relationships, those in whom credence is placed) and does not follow that which would lead him away from godliness he will be blessed. But, as many people have realized, notice the progression! The psalmist speaks about the person that walks, stands and then sits in order to hear unrighteous advice. Isn't that the case in our lives sometimes? We begin a friendship with someone who is not a child of God and therefore not "godly," thereby "walking" with them, and we start to consider their statements, and even teachings, and before we know it we have begun to "sit" and stagnate in their falsehoods! The words of Paul could never be clearer, "Evil company corrupts good habits (1 Corinthians 15:33)"! 

     If one can read verse two of Psalm 1 and get from it that a person is godly who does not hold the Word of God in high esteem and importance to life, there is something lacking in his reading comprehension skills. How does one combat the false advice of the world? How am I supposed to make sure that my friends who are not members of God's body (cf. Ephesians 1:22-23) do not cause me to lose my way? By the Word of God! There is a big push today for God to speak to mankind and guide them through what could be called nothing other than individual inspiration and revelation and I am convinced it is because we don't realize how important, helpful and divine the Bible and God's commands are! The person wishing to be "blessed" is going to spend time in the word of God (meditate) and be happy (delightful) knowing that God has given him everything that he will ever need, in written form, in order to please the one who created him (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:3)! And when a person does that he will be able to stand firm even though the world tells him to do ungodly things, because he will have God's law in his heart and will be profitable to Him (Psalm 1:3). 

   The Godless - Psalm 1:4-6
     When you study what it is to be "godly" (Psalm 1:1-3) and that it is a conditional statement it is almost common sense to understand what it means to be "godless". It is whatever is in exact contradiction to faithfulness, righteousness, godliness and blessedness. It is frailty of being thrown about like dead hulls in the wind (Psalm 1:4) by different doctrines and examples because of the obvious lack of knowledge when it comes to God's word (cf. Ephesians 4:11-16). It's the weakness of a person not prepared to meet their God (Psalm 1:5a, Psalm 1:6, 2 Corinthians 5:9-11). It is the visible contrast seen in a person that is characterized by this compared to a person that is "blessed" (Psalm 1:5b, 1 Peter 2:9).
     
     Godlessness is the plague of the world and yet it can be stopped by simply doing one thing. - Going to God for guidance through His divine words of instruction and dismissing the guidance given by those that have no more religious authority than a bag of grapes. Why would anyone want to go to their neighbor for advice in religious matters when the one that created religion, action based upon one's beliefs (cf. James 1:27), is standing right there just waiting to give it (1 Timothy 2:4)?

     Throughout the daily life of any individual living on earth, there will be times in which he faces circumstances that may be characterized by the statement, “stuck between a rock and a hard place.” The psalmist David had many days like this. Throughout his life he faced a king that wanted nothing more than to kill him, the sinful actions in which he took part, the sins of others, the rebellion of his son, the death of a child born to him out of wedlock, and many other difficult times which may have lead a worldly person away from the Lord. However, king David was a man searching to live in accordance with the will of the creator (Acts 13:22). Because of this, David wrote a psalm which should be the prayer of any Christian who is experiencing adversities in his walk with the Lord. Let he who is faced with these times put his trust in the Lord (v. 1). 

     Because of his trust in the Lord, David asked the most powerful God to never allow his circumstances to make him ashamed. Paul, likewise, stated that in God would he put his trust and that would cause him to continue to preach the Gospel of Christ (Rom. 1:16). Imagine, if you will, you were the apostle Paul and were writing a letter to the Christians at Rome in order to prove the statement that justification only comes in Christ. That was a large undertaking in a time when some of the Jews within the church were attempting to state that justification comes from the New Testament of Jesus Christ and from the Law of Moses (Gal. 1:6-10) and the government of the time would have Christians to forsake the Lord and worship in their pagan ways. Now, look at the world in which we live today. People attempt to convince Christians to forsake the truth of the Bible and believe in false truths like evolution, homosexuality, adultery, fornication, and many other things. The person putting his trust in the Lord may pray this to the Lord and never be ashamed of the truth of God’s word. 

     Isn’t it the thought of those downtrodden that someone would come and help them come out of their situation? David obviously felt this and expressed it in his cry to the Lord for Him to bring him out with the righteousness of the almighty. If the Lord has the power to create all that is, then He hasthe power to deliver his creation from the trials of this life. Not only does He have the power to do so, but He possesses the knowledge and willingness to as well. Peter wrote that the Lord will always know the way by which He can deliver the godly out of the temptations, or trials (2 Pet. 2:9). Jesus Christ, the second member of the Godhead (John 1:1-3,14), stated that the Lord loves His creation so much that He was willing to allow His son to die in order to give mankind the opportunity to be saved from their sins if only they have an obedient faith. If the Lord has the opportunity, ability, and willingness to bring mankind out of his biggest problem, sin, then He has the opportunity, ability, and willingness to bring him out of the trials of life. 

     One of the greatest blessings of being a child of God (Eph. 1:3) is the ability to pray to the Lord in petition of things with which we need His help. John wrote that the Christian has the confidence in knowing that if he prays to God, He hears him and He will answer that prayer (1 John 5:14-15). If one were to put themselves in the mindset of David, he would understand the plea to the Lord that the Almighty listen and “bow down” His ear to him. Isn’t it the case that during the times of trials in life, a person’s prayer life becomes drastically more important to him? James, the writer of a book addressed to brethren who had been scattered throughout the known world because of the persecution of the righteous (Jas. 1:1), recorded that the continuous and needful prayer of a child of God will always work for the better of that Christian and the situation in which he finds himself (Jas. 5:16b). 

     David pleaded to the Lord that He would be a “strong rock” that would become a house of defense to protect him. The Lord is the strong foundation of a Christian’s faith (Mat. 7:24-27), and He will allow him to not worry about the rains of life because the foundation is secure. There are many places in this world in which there are a great number of earthquakes. Those living in those areas are always mindful that the earth may begin to shake, but if their houses are built with adequate foundations then the likelihood of the structure making it through the shake are drastically increased. When our faith is built upon the Lord, there is absolutely no reason to believe that it will faith when our lives are shaken, and that is exactly what David wanted. 

      Much like the plea of David for the Lord to be his strong rock on which his defense is founded, he proclaims that the Lord was his rock and his fortress. Many times in the Scripture, the Lord is asked to do something and said to be already doing it. The question arises, “Why did David ask the Lord to be this, and then say He already was?” The reason is because David wanted that to always be the case! A man might have a house which is built upon a rock, but he has the ability to move that house if he so wishes. David understood the Lord’s protection was upon him but that may not always be the case if David did not continue to be a child of God. The church of Jesus Christ was founded upon such a rock (Mat. 16:18) and Jesus stated that the church would never be defeated, but what if a specific congregation moves away from the Lord? Will that church continue to be founded upon that rock? The answer to this is obviously, no. And David understood that the Lord was protecting him in all he did, but it was still needful that he pray to the Lord to continue to be that fortress of protection. Christians, likewise, must always remember to allow the Lord to be their fortress during times of distress through faithful obedience to Him. 

     The psalmist knew the Lord was the source of his direction. Many in the world today believe that the Lord will speak directly to them and tell them what is to be done, and the psalmist would have experienced this because at that point the Lord was speaking to the people. Today, we understand that to no longer take place because the written word is available (1 Cor. 13:8-10), but the Lord still leads and guides His people today. He has given those living today the inspired word of God, the same word that is said to be able to make a man complete and give him everything which is to be used in life and godly living (2 Tim. 3:16-17, Phi. 1:3). If a man allows the Lord to lead him through His divine word, there can be nothing which stands in his way (Phi. 4:13). And, much like David, he will know how to escape the problems of life and will have the Lord with him. 

     Not only will the child of God be able to escape tribulations, the Lord will pull him out of situations laid by others meant to trip him in his walk. If there is one person in the Bible who had these nets laid for him, it is David. It has been mentioned that he experienced his son rebelling, the king of the nation attempting to kill him, and many other situations which were begun by other people for the sole purpose of stopping David. It may be the case that a Christian experiences situations which he has been put into by the unrighteous of this world. The society of America is quickly becoming more and more hostile for the godly, and many are seeking to stop New Testament Christianity altogether. The words of the psalmist give light to the feeling of many righteous people no matter what dispensation under which they are living. David followed this statement with acknowledging that the Lord was the source of all his strength. 

     David’s statement that he gave his spirit to the Lord is the basis of this psalm. It is because he gave everything to the Lord that he wants Him to help him, deliver him, listen to him, protect him, lead him and deliver him. When a person recognizes that the Lord is the only one to be followed in this life, he will understand that a prayer like this will be answered by the Lord. This statement shows without a doubt that the psalmist had the utmost confidence in the creator during all dangers and troubles. It is interesting that the Christ said these words while on the cross of Calvary (Luke 23:46). Some state this to mean that the psalm under consideration was actually a prophecy of the Christ, but it is entirely possible that the statements of David and Jesus were directed to the Lord to denote the great trust given to the Lord by both men in their times of need. It should be the case that the Christian has given his entire being to the Lord, it is this which will give the most assurance in times of need. 

     No matter what the circumstance of life, the Christian finds hope, peace and satisfaction in the fact that the Lord has forgiven all the sins which at one point separated him from the Lord. David thought this to be the most important thing in his situation. He understood that no matter what happened in this life, what others did to him for his faith, or what he put himself through by way of his iniquity the Lord is merciful and forgiving. Christians have that hope as well. Though it may be the case that a Christian stumbles in his walk, whether it be because of the traps laid by others or his own actions, the Lord will always be there to help him back up and continue to be his rock and his fortress in life’s horrible situations (1 John 1:7-9, Rev. 1:5).