When You are Disturbed.

That was my challenging question. How surprised I was at the answer that came my way. While reading my daily Bible devotion, in the New Revised Standard Bible, (I attempt to read the Bible through every year and hopefully out of a different translation each time) I came upon Psalm 4:4. And it stopped me cold. Hey! I thought that is supposed to be the word anger…but as I continued to look further, following the Spirit as He taught me I was genuinely surprised at the outcome. Let me share my journey with you if you please.

Psalm 4:4 (NRS)

“When you are disturbed, do not sin;

ponder it on your beds, and be silent.”

Psalm 37:8 (NKJ)

“Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;

do not fret – it only causes harm.”

Psalm 37:7-9 (NRS)

“Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;

do not fret

over those who prosper in their way,

over those who carry out evil devices.

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath.

Do not fret – it leads only to evil.

For the wicked shall be cut off, but those who

wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.”

Ponder it;

Don’t fret over it,

Be silent!

Wait for the Lord.

These are the things that is necessary for us to do. Only God has the objectivity and the patience to deal with the issue.

Be silent.

Do not speak about the disturbance.

Fretting, speaking, wrathfulness, leads to evil, always. Transfer the whole issue to God. He, alone, has the wherewithal to deal with the issue. This is so hard in a culture that continually pushes us to demand our rights. A culture that encourages “speaking out” about what irritates us or makes us angry, about what disturbs us. However, the Psalmist warns, it only causes harm; it leads only to evil.

If indeed we need to speak out about anything , Psalm 4: 5 (NRS)  gives further instructions:

 “Offer right sacrifices…”

After pondering on the disturbance/s, offer right sacrifices…correct ones,

The right sacrifices of:

-          praise (Hebrews 13:1)

-          thanksgiving (Psalm100:4; Psalm 95:2)

-          thank-offerings (Psalm Ps. 50:14)

-          your bodies as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1)

Remember the old chorus:

We bring the sacrifice of praise, into the house of the Lord.

We bring the sacrifice of praise, into the house of the Lord.

And we offer unto You, the sacrifice of Thanksgiving.

And we offer unto You, the sacrifices of praise.

The psalmist continues in Psalm 4:5, “…ANDput your trust in the Lord.”

We need both; to offer right sacrifices from our hearts and mouth and trust in God. One requires the other. I need to trust God to be able to give Him my disturbance and then offer the sacrifice of praise that is His due. In other words: “Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.” (Psalm 37:7)

Silence goes a long ways in trust. If I trust God to deal with the given situation, if I have given it over to Him…I will be silent. There is nothing left to say or talk about…it is not my situation anymore…it is the Lords. I do not have to give further clarification or instruction, God knows. I can take refuge in Him, and be content, happy and blessed. I need only be still

Psalm 46:10 (NRS)

Be still, and know that

I am God!

I am exalted among the nations

I am exalted in the earth.

When given over to God, whatever the situation, whatever the disturbance—God is exalted! There is no hesitation or unsurety in the above verse. The psalmist confidently declares regarding God: I am God, I am exalted! God just IS exalted. He has no need to wait on persons to exalt Him—He already is.

So…when you are disturbed (angry), recognize it, and do not sin. Ponder yes…but be silent. Let God handle it. No matter what the situation and/or pressure. Let it be, let it go, and let God handle it.

Psalm 5:1-3 (NRS) brings the next step in dealing with disturbances. First the psalmist gives similar instructions regarding going to God, the Lord:

“Give ear to my words, O Lord, give heed to my sighing.

Listen to the sound of my cry. (the psalmist is disturbed)

My King and my God, for to You I pray.

Oh Lord, in the morning (the psalmist has pondered this on his bed)

You hear my voice: in the morning

I plead my case to You, (the psalmist has gone to God, and transferred it all to Him)

And watch.”

Now it is the moment to watch, to stand still and see the salvation of our God. At the Red Sea when the Israelites were caught in what looked like an inescapable trap, they were more than a little disturbed…this is what the Lord said to them…

Exodus 14:13-14 (NRS)

“Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the Lord will accomplish for you today…the Lord will fight for you, and you have only to keep still.”

Always, our reactions come first and foremost out of our fear…yes, even our anger…if we had ability to stop and examine why we are anger, it will almost always have a fear of some sort at its root but God tells us all that is needed is…to keep still, be silent, do not be afraid but trusting the Lord God, stand firm in your situation—stand firm under the protective wing of our God—and WATCH—watch and rejoice as you see the deliverance that the Lord WILL accomplish for you today…

In the letter to the believers in the city of Corinth, who were undergoing all manner of disturbances, Paul declares…

2Corinthians 6:1-2 (NRS)

“As we work together with [God], we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain for [God] says,

“At an acceptable time I HAVE listened to you,

And on A day of salvation I HAVE helped you.”

See, NOW is the acceptable time;

See, NOW is the day of salvation.

We sometimes think that salvation is a once in a lifetime thing…and in some respects it certainly is. When Jesus comes into our hearts, our lives, He is there to stay. Jesus promised He would never leave us nor forsake us and He doesn’t. Our eternal salvation is secured in the holy blood of Jesus. That is indeed a once in a life time thing. We are forgiven and brought into fellowship with our heavenly Father, God. But there is a daily salvation that is continuous.

In the Funk & Wagnalls Practical Dictionary, they give us this definition:

Salvation: noun 1. The process or state of being saved; preservation from impending evil. 2. In theology, deliverance from sin and penalty, realized in a future state; redemption.

The second definition Funk & Wagnalls puts forward is what has happened to all believers when they put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to make them right with God. The first definition is what I believe Paul is talking about to the Corinthians and us. Notice the words of continuation in the first definition, process and being. It’s not a finished thing. In the same fashion God’s grace has a continuing aspect…God Himself said, “on A day of salvation…” meaning there is more than one day of salvation. He saves us continually from ourselves as well as circumstances and disturbances that would surround us.

God says, “I HAVE listened to you…” He has heard and will hear when we cry out to Him in the night seasons or day…when we ponder the disturbance on our beds and turn things over to Him, no matter how often we have to do it. And it is at this point Paul encourages us…

See, NOW is the acceptable time;

See, NOW is the day of salvation.

Don’t wait for a more acceptable time to go to God with your disturbances, go now. Now is the acceptable time. Ponder it silently on your bed, then turn it over to God. God will and has listened to you. How do we know? Because we have our eternal salvation. Because He sent Jesus as our Savior. He has indeed already listened to us. So each and everyday is the day of salvation from whatever disturbs us. Praise God.