I don’t know about you, but I often have those evenings in which my body is so physically tired I can barely keep my eyes open as I sit on the couch trying to concentrate on the TV. I finally give in and announce to my wife, “I’m going to bed,” only to lie down and have my mind begin racing over the events of the day and the work of the day to come. As my mind races, it shifts to thoughts of financial security, the welfare of my kids, did I feed the dogs, are the doors locked… Oh, be quiet already! I just want to sleep! Have you experienced evenings like this?
“In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety.”
Psalm 4:8 NASB
I remember the very first time I read this Psalm. I was a freshman at Concordia Austin in the fall of 1980. A group of us were talking at an evening chapel service about all of the studying we had to do, the difficulties of learning Latin, and various other stresses that college students face. A classmate opened his Bible and read this psalm to us, and it was as if the door opened wide and the light shined bright.
King David wrote this psalm. If you’ve done much study on David, you know he had a lot going on in his life. He was king of Israel. He was a sinner, and he knew it. He committed adultery with Bathsheba, then arranged for her husband’s death to try and hide his sin. He had rivals seeking to take his life. David, as imperfect as he was, knew that he could take solace and comfort in the arms of his Lord. That is what this psalm is all about. And it applies as much to us today as it did to David when he first wrote it under the inspiration of God Himself.
I recently wrote about the quiet of the morning, and how my morning time in Scripture with God is my favorite time of the day. Evening has the potential to also be a time of quiet; a time to settle down, to calm the mind, and to meditate and pray over the events of life. David writes earlier in this psalm, “Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still.” (Ps 8:4b) Do you take time each evening for a closing moment with God? I confess – I don’t. And I’m reminded as I re-read this psalm how important it is to do just that. You see, my problem is I wait until I have physically exhausted myself before going to bed but I do nothing to prepare my mind for sleep. It’s almost as if my mind is saying, “what about me? I’m not tired yet!”
This week I’m going to try something new. I’m going to try taking a few moments after I’ve hit the sack to read this psalm again, meditate on God’s message, and dedicate the night’s sleep to Him. I believe that there can be peace in the evening, the source of which is in God’s Word.
Soli DEO Gloria!
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