WATCHWORD:
1 Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.2 O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? 3 But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the Lord will hear when I call unto him.4 Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. 5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord. 6 There be many that say, Who will show us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. 7 Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased. 8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makes me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:1-8
Meditation:
Talking with God
Imagine with me, ready for bed. It’s been a busy day. Ordinarily we lift our eyes to God and say a simple rote memory prayer, but this time we’re just going to talk to God, for we know he hears us, and we know his spirit is right here within us, beside us, around us. Correction, we’re going to talk with God, not to God, meaning I will speak, and I will listen to His response in the quiet of my evening.
There is something about David and how he expresses himself in Psalm 4, talking with God. And so, we express ourselves accordingly, as we cuddled down in our beds and feel the warmth of the blanket over us and focus our attention on God, expressing our gratitude for all His graces that have filled the day, just ending. We may bring others into our conversation, though the feeling we have is peace and gratitude as we drift into sleep.
We might call to mind a difficult encounter, or maybe a time when we should have done something, but we didn’t and instead of doing likewise, as You have instructed us, Lord, we passed by on the other side. So, even in our gratitude, we express our regrets and ask for strength to follow Your will more closely.
Then we pause, listen carefully, maybe words, maybe thoughts that pop come to your mind, may be a refocusing on something you just said. Pay attention, draw closer to the murmurings of the Holy Spirit within. Conversations with God will bring us peace.
In our day, from the moment we go to sleep at night until we lie back down the next night; things will happen good and not so good, but the constant that you know is there is the presence of the Lord, ready for a conversation. Give Him all the honor and glory because you know without Him this would not have been a good day. You will sleep better after a talk with God. I have found it to be true.
After-Thought:
We have some control over how we talk with God, but do we deliberately disobey him when we don’t listen to his side of the conversation? If it’s the Pastor speaking to us, obedience seems optional. On the other hand, if it is God speaking to us…oh boy, no choice, there are consequences. But you, in the comfort of your bed, preparing for a night’s sleep, find peace because, after all, you’re in a conversation with God.
Prayerful Conversation with God:
Dear Heavenly Father, I give you all honor and glory as I lie down to sleep. I pray that You will grant me restful sleep to prepare me for the day You are preparing in the morning. I just want to thank you for the graces that you have given me throughout this day. You speak with me in so many ways, Lord. I hear your words from Your spirit within, I hear you in the circumstances that you’ve placed before me throughout the day, and I am so grateful. Lord, you know each one I lift to You, you know their needs, touch their lives with the graces they need and help them sort out those things that are difficult. It’s in the name of Jesus I pray, amen.
