These days, modern Christians have a bad name. The American culture, maybe even the world culture, says everyone should accept everything and everyone. Everyone should be able to be whoever they want to be and do whatever they want to do, as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else. The world says that, but God says to follow the narrow road to heaven. (Matthew 7:14) God says that homosexuality and transgender actions are wrong, that marriage is one man and one woman joined for life. But how should we react when it seems that anything a Christian says gets us “canceled” as hateful words toward someone? Psalm 4 was written in a very different time, by an ancient king, but it is remarkably useful today. I’ve reworded Psalm 4 to clarify the thoughts I found there.
God hears our prayers and is merciful
The notes in my study Bible say that this psalm may have been written during a drought in Israel. The drought was causing the people to offer sacrifices to other local gods instead of waiting for God’s time. King David started his prayer begging God to hear him and confident that God was listening and would send relief. The book of Psalms has been used in church services as prayers to music for over two thousand years. The New Testament writers quoted Psalms often, so it was well known before Jesus walked on Earth. David probably wrote this psalm not as a private prayer between God and him, but as a public reminder to be confident in God and wait for His action.
Modern Christians can also be confident that God is always listening and will send help in whatever problems we have. James 5:13-18 talks about the power of prayer. He reminds us that prayer is powerful and should be done constantly. God may not answer immediately or how we hope He will, but God will always answer. His answer may be to wait or to carry on as we are doing, but He always answers.
The modern world mocks God and chases fickle joys.
Everywhere we look, people are trying to find their purpose, to figure out why they are here and what brings them happiness. Some people chase love from other people and have broken hearts and divided families. Divorces and remarriages seem more common than lifelong marriages. Some people don’t even get married, they just move in with lovers until they decide that relationship isn’t right for them and move on to the next one. Other people look inside themselves for their joy. Self-help gurus are everywhere. If one path to self-love isn’t enough, people can try a dozen other methods.
Thrill seekers look for joy in adrenaline, chasing one adventure after another as their path to joy. Many people turn to drugs to make their life better, chasing a drug induced high to get them through the day.
People try everything they can think of to find joy, but how many unbelievers do you know who are truly happy?
But God loves those who seek Him and will answer our prayers.
A modern Christian finds the joy God designed us for. If we turn to God’s Word and focus on it, God will show us what He wants for us. We should pray for His guidance and as we study the Bible, He’ll show what we need to know.
I don’t believe that God will suddenly start a conversation with us. I’ve never actually heard God’s voice in my ears, but I’ve received His answers all the same. When I’m reading the Bible, I’ll often suddenly notice something I hadn’t realized before. I read Psalm 4 three times trying to figure out what I should talk about in this post. I had a few ideas on how we can use this psalm today, but couldn’t figure out how to word it. So I read the chapter again and realized that it fit in great with another Bible study I’m in about how modern Christians should react to the modern world. God isn’t whispering these words in my ear as I type them, but He is revealing the words needed as I need them.
Search our hearts and don’t turn from God in hard times.
Sometimes God’s answer is to wait a while. If I pray to get married tomorrow to a celebrity I just adore, God is probably going to say I need to wait a while to marry a guy I’m not even dating now. Or if I pray to have God pay my bills and get me out of debt tomorrow, God will seem like He’s not answering me as I earn the money myself. He provided a job so I can pay my bills. It’s very unlikely that I’ll suddenly get an inheritance or win the lottery and get handed lots of money. God can do miracles, but self-control is one of the characteristics God asks of Christians. (Galatians 5:22-23)
Sometimes God wants us to go through hard times, not be saved from them. Jeremiah 29 shows that God often uses hard times to train and guide His people. Jeremiah lived in a time when God decided that His individual punishments were no longer enough to curb the nation’s sins, so He sent Jeremiah to warn that Israel was going to be in captivity for years. The warning was that it was God’s plan and that they couldn’t stop Babylon from taking the people in Jerusalem into captivity.
In chapter 29, the prophet sends word to the exiles that they should settle down where they are placed and do good. In seventy years the exiles would be allowed to return so they should settle in and be good citizens, not insist on fighting their captivity. God also told Jeremiah that the people who had refused to leave Jerusalem would be destroyed. Those that accepted God’s punishment would prosper while those that fought it and tried to free themselves would die.
Psalm 4:4-5 tells us not to curse God in hard times. It says to search ourselves, offer sacrifices, and trust God. Turning away from God because we’re going through hard times is how we separate ourselves from God and His joy.
Offer modern sacrifices and trust that God will help.
But what are sacrifices a modern Christian can make? It’s not common for us to buy doves or cows, have them slaughtered at the local church, and have a community feast like the ancient people did. Hebrews 10 quotes Psalm 40 saying that Jesus was the only sacrifice needed to remove our sins from God’s view. So do we still need to make sacrifices to God?
“You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, o God, you will not despise.”
Psalm 51:16-17 NIV
Psalm 51 says that a pleasing sacrifice to God is a humble heart. My study Bible says that God prefers humility and obedience to offerings of burnt animals. Hebrews 10 talks about how Jesus’ sacrifice was once for all, which leads us to thankful obedience and fellowship. Because of Jesus’ great sacrifice, modern Christians work together, striving to follow God’s will and bring about His plan with loving hearts.
Modern Christians show God’s love to others and know the joy of helping.
Jesus’ sacrifice means we no longer need to obey the multiple laws the Old Testament Jews followed as outward shows of their obedience to God’s will. Modern Christians have two major goals in life: love God and love each other. Those goals look different to everyone. Sacrificial giving is a huge part of church conversations about faith. The term sounds fancy but in simplest terms, it means giving something you would have enjoyed keeping. Most people think of it in terms of giving money, but that is not the only way to give sacrificially. We can also give time and talents.
Some people have a gift for conversation. Others can turn any conversation into a chance to talk about God. One of my friends is great at making friends and turning those friendships into inviting people to church. I’m not great with people, but I love finding details in research and combining details into stories or information like these devotions. One of my friends is not a great talker, but a great listener and helpful at maintaining buildings. Romans 12: 1-8 and 1 Corinthians 12: 12-31 says that everyone has different skills and everyone needs to work together for success. Together we can take care of each other in the church and have enough to show God’s love outside the church by helping others.
God alone keeps us safe until His time comes.
Safety is often an illusion. We think we’re always safe or can control enough stuff in life to know when we’re safe and when we’re in danger. Have you ever thought about how safe anything is? Some people have allergies that can kill them, others need medication that has dangerous side effects. Our house could catch fire from bad wiring we don’t know we have. A building we’re visiting could explode. Random shootings are rare, but can happen anywhere. Planes crash, cars crash, we could get hit by something while walking somewhere. Diseases could destroy us or a bad heart could give out any second.
Usually I try not to think about all the things I can’t control. I know that God knows when and how I will go. I can’t change that, but I still worry some days. God knows how each of us will die and when. Nothing you or I can do will change that. No random gunman or speeding car can change it. No plan of my enemy or my neighbor’s enemy can change what God already knows to be set. Why should we worry or lose sleep at night when God alone is in control?
So how should modern Christians react to today’s world?
We should pray for it and the struggling people in it. Remember that God is in control. Our job is to show God’s love and grace in order to hopefully lead people to God. He will guide our way and protect us until He’s ready to welcome us to heaven, where we won’t struggle anymore. That doesn’t mean we need to accept people’s sin, but it does mean that we don’t hate people or resort to violence. React to people in love and let God find their hearts. It’s easier said than done, but God always wants us to strive for perfection over sin.
If you want to learn more about why the world is so sinful, Romans 1:18-32 says that since they turned from God, God let them sin and their sins got more and more depraved. Sin will remain with us until Judgement Day, Christians just need to focus on God, not sin.
If you want to buy a product with the lion image above, Psalm 4:8, or other images I’ve created related to the Psalms, I have a store on Zazzle, Devotional WordArt, where you can buy them and I’ll get a portion of the sale.