“When you are disturbed, do not sin; ponder it on your beds, and be silent. Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord” (vs. 4). Often when something is bothering us, we lay in bed and ruminate on it. If the issue has to do with another person, we rehearse conversations we would like to have, we imagine putting that person in their place, or we dream up schemes for revenge. If it’s an issue that causes us anxiety, we picture all the ways things will go wrong. This psalm offers another option: silence and trust in God.
What if we were quiet enough to listen for God’s words of peace and reassurance? What if we were silent long enough to listen for the still, small voice that might give clarity and wisdom? What keeps you awake at night?
Tonight when you go to bed, offer this situation to God and pray verse 8: “I will both lie down in peace; for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety.”
