Mensa Otabil - Lord, Hear Me When I Call (10/02/2025)
Welcome to a brand new week, and we will continue our study of the Psalms. As you know, we have studied Psalms one, two, and three, and today we will explore the fourth Psalm, Psalm number four. I will be studying it throughout this week.
Psalm 4, verse 1: «Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness; you have relieved me in my distress. Have mercy on me and hear my prayer.» Psalms four and three have some commonality. If you look at the structure of the two Psalms, they share a similar framework because historically, they are connected. Psalm three and Psalm four were both written during a time when David was dealing with Absalom’s rebellion when most of his people had abandoned him.
He begins by asking the Lord to hear him when he calls because, at this moment in his life, he is praying for God to listen. He asks God to listen to him when he calls, and I think he says this because he feels as if God is not listening. We all go through situations where we pray repeatedly and feel that God is not hearing us, so we make a special appeal, saying, «Lord, this time you have to hear me.» That is what David is expressing: «Hear me when I call.»
Then he addresses God as «O God of my righteousness.» David’s confidence in prayer stems from God’s righteousness. He acknowledges, «God, I know you will hear me because you are the God of righteousness; you do what is right.» Not only that, but God hears us because our cause is right. You cannot approach God asking Him to hear your prayer when the matter you present is unjust. You want Him to act against His nature or will, and just praying about it doesn’t mean it should happen.
For instance, people pray for bad things to happen to others; they may pray all they want, but that is not aligned with God’s righteousness. So David says, «God, hear me because you are the God of righteousness, and my cause is right. I am in the right in this matter.» David believes that when we pray, we must present a righteous cause to God.
In his prayer, he states, «Lord, you have given me relief from my distress.» In other words, «Lord, in the past, when I called on you, you heard me.» It is beneficial, when praying, to remember what God has done for us in the past. David was always careful, as we find in earlier Psalms, to recall past blessings from God.
Do not let present circumstances dictate your attitude. Even if you feel God is not hearing you now, reflect on whether He has helped you in the past, whether He answered your prayers or did something good for you. Remember what He has done as you present your righteous cause before the Lord. He will hear you. But in the end, David adds, «Lord, have mercy on me,» recognizing that even if his cause is righteous, the reason God answers our prayers is not solely based on our righteousness but rather on God’s mercy.
Every answer to prayer is an extension of God’s mercy. Do not rely on your own righteousness or goodness as the basis for which God should answer your prayer. Some people talk to God and make a case, «Lord, you know I tithe, I do this, and I do that; because of that, hear me.» This is the type of prayer Jesus criticized as the way the Pharisees used to pray.
God answers our prayers not because we have acted rightly in the past, but because of His grace and mercy. Out of His grace and mercy, He answers our prayers. David concludes verse one with, «Lord, hear me again.» There is so much packed into this first verse of the fourth Psalm, and as we look at the other verses in this Psalm, we learn how to pray properly and how to present our case before the Lord.
So, let us share a word of prayer. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, have mercy on me. Hear me when I call and deliver me from every distress. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.» A good way to start your week. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.