Standing in Awe

Psalm 4:4

    In Psalm 4 David exhorts us to "Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah" (Psalm 4:4). Our versification sings it thus (PRC Psalter)

    Stand in awe and sin not, 
    Bid your heart be still; 
    Through the silent watches 
    Think upon His will.

    This he wrote because, as verse 1 reveals, he was in distress. And he is speaking to his own soul. This is so very necessary whenever we have troubles. We so quickly and continuously look at what is happening instead of looking to God Who has all things completely under His control and causes all things to work together for good to His people.

    Now what David means here is that we stand in awe before God, that is, that we have profound respect for Him, fear Him in the sense that we are fully conscious of Who He is and what He is able to do. If we do that, and we tell our hearts that He is God, we will be silent as far as complaining about what happened to us is concerned.

    How often is it not that we have to commune with our own hearts and tell them that He is God. We are so ready to question His works, and, as David had just done, we are quick to accuse Him of not listening to our cries. We run to Him and plead with Him that He will hear us, while we fail to listen to Him and what He says to us in His word.

    Just tell your heart what a mighty God He is Who not only created all things, but also gives us such rich promises and revealed such tremendous faithfulness to Noah, Abraham, and the Israelites, and in due time sent His own Son for our salvation.

    Stand in awe, that is, be filled with awe before our mighty and ever faithful God. Tell your soul what awesome things He has done. And if you do, you will with David say, "The Lord will hear me when I call" (Psalm 4:3).

    Through the silent watches think upon His will. And be sure that He will work all things together for good to those that love Him.

Read: Psalm 4 
Psalter versification: #7:1
(Words and Music of the Psalter)

Meditations on the Heidelberg Catechism

Song for Meditation: Psalter #174
Why not sing along??

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Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:
Ezekiel 31 , Ezekiel 32 
Hebrews 12:14-29 
Psalm 113 ; Psalm 114:1-8 
Proverbs 27:18-20

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Quote for Reflection:

"… The Scriptures do not cater to modern man with his ten-second attention span, his inability to think clearly about almost everything, his need to have any knowledge given in TV-size bits, and his easy slide into boredom and ennui if any prolonged concentration is required."  – Prof. Herman Hanko