Mensa Otabil - Be Still
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Psalm 4, verses 4 and 5. Be angry and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed and be still, Selah. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness and put your trust in the Lord. These are very interesting two verses. Remember in verse two, David is asking, "How long, O sons of men, are you going to turn my glory to shame? And how long are you going to love worthlessness?" He is frustrated with people who are persistently against him, trying to mess up his life, and sometimes, in life, we go through that-people who seem to always want to make your life miserable. In verse four, David is still responding to verse two, and he tells us how to react to these people who want to make our lives miserable. There are four things he tells us to do.
First, he says, if you have people like that who are trying to mess up your life - every time you go out there, they just want to do something bad against you -he says, be angry and do not sin. Be angry, but don't sin. Later, this instruction is affirmed in the New Testament: be angry, but don't sin. What does that mean? It means be angry, and it's okay to be angry, but don't repay evil for evil. Don't put out your hand to do something wrong; don't imitate the ways of those who are doing wrong. If you do that, you are angry, and you are sinning. So David says it's okay to be hurt and angry, but be careful that you don't do something wrong out of your anger. That's a warning for you. If people are against you, harassing you, be angry, but don't sin. Don't sin.
The second thing he says is to be still and meditate in your heart. Instead of allowing your mind to conjure up and conceive all kinds of things you can do to pay them back and make their lives miserable, he says, meditate in your heart. Basically, don't meditate on plans to destroy somebody; meditate on the Lord. Let the word of the Lord dwell in you richly. Think about the goodness of the Lord. While people are planning evil against you, be angry but don't sin, and meditate on the Lord.
Then he says the third thing, which I like very much: "Offer the sacrifices of the righteous." He says, "Be angry, don't sin. Meditate on the Lord, then offer the sacrifices of the righteous." What does that mean? It's praise, worship, and adoration. That's the sacrifice of the righteous. If you are a child of God, that's your sacrifice. So, when people are against you, just worship the Lord. Be in His presence. Seek the goodness of the Lord. Seek the presence of the Lord and allow the Holy Spirit to occupy your atmosphere with the presence of God. It is in that place of worship that God deploys His help for you. That's when He tells you, you don't need to fight in this battle; the battle is for Me. He comes on the scene and helps you. But if you want to fight your own battle, God takes Himself off the battlefront.
So the psalmist says worship. Anger is selfish. When you are angry, you want to do something to please yourself. But when you worship, you are selfless. You're taking everything and giving it to the Lord. So be angry, don't sin, meditate, and then worship.
The last thing he says is put your trust in the Lord. In verse two, David says, "Those who want to turn his glory to shame are the sons of men. They trust in themselves, but he will trust in the Lord." He puts his trust in the Lord. The people who are against you are mere men. They are mere women. They are just people, and people can't do much against you. When you lift up your hands in worship and seek the presence of God and seek the face of the Lord, the Lord does battle for you. Just put your trust in God.
If you're going through anything similar to what David went through, follow this guide that David has left us. Be angry, but do not sin. Meditate before the Lord. Offer the sacrifices of the righteous to the Lord. And put your trust in God. That's how you win your spiritual battles.
Let's pray. Say with me, "Heavenly Father, I offer to You my sacrifice of worship and adoration. Keep me away from acting in anger, in Jesus' name. Amen. And amen."