How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep
This text is an ancient witness to present problems. It is a historical word for contemporary worries. - Pastor Charlie Dates
Psalm 4:4-8 NKJV
4 Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah
5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And put your trust in the LORD.
6 There are many who say, “Who will show us any good?” LORD, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us.
7 You have put gladness in my heart, More than in the season that their grain and wine increased.
8 I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.
There are moments in life that are beyond your control and cause anxiety. They will keep you from sleeping peacefully.
You have to have somewhere to go. Turning to the Lord in prayer should be your first response, not a last resort.
When we get to Psalm 4, chaos has erupted. Some scholars suggest that Psalms 3 and 4 go together. If they are right, then Psalm 4 was also written during a time of national volatility. His son Absalom won the people’s hearts and now David is on the run.
How should people who are facing national volatility after an unwanted outcome handle emotional distress and an unwillingness to resign to fear?
A Prayer of Confidence Amid Distress
We see in Psalm 4 that we aren’t the first ones to feel anxiety of uncertainty. The Psalmist is saying that amid deep disappointment, pray a prayer of confidence in God before you go to sleep.
Not when circumstances change or your problems are resolved. In the middle of your distress and anxiety is the time when you have to have confidence in God.
The superscription of the Psalm says it’s written for the choir director. It’s a song to be sung with stringed instruments.
Singing and praising God helps you remind yourself of God's truth, even when your circumstances make you feel something different.
At the beginning of the song, he’s distressed. But by the end, he says he’s going to go lie down. How do you do that? How do you make it from distress to going to have a good night’s sleep?
If you want to get a good night’s sleep, you have to confess your confidence in God BEFORE you ask for help. Before you ask God for anything, you have to acknowledge that God can do everything.
The writer of Hebrews says blessed are those who believe that God is and he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (11:6). Trust in God has to proceed requests to God.
Trusting God in Uncertain Times
When God comes to mind, what do you think and feel?
It’s ok to feel what you feel as long as you know the truth about God. Scripture doesn’t rush you through what you feel.
Verse 4 says be angry but don’t sin. Feel what you feel but don’t overreact.
The word translated as “be angry” in the New King James Version is the word “tremble.” Bodily tremors can be the physiological response to extreme anger.
How to keep from sinning when you’re angry?
You fix your mind on the character of God before you go to sleep. You meditate on who God is and that has a way of making your anger dissipate.
Meditating on something means thinking about it repeatedly.
Meditating is the inverse of anxiety. Anxiety rehearses your worries. Meditating rehearses the strength of God.
Rehearsing your worries stirs up discontentment.
Trusting God doesn’t mean you can’t ask Him tough questions. The Psalmist says “Who will show us any good?”
But make sure you come back to the truth of God’s goodness.
Verse 7 shows that God will put gladness in your heart. The source of joy is not circumstance. The source of joy is the proven character of God who supplies all that we need.
When the Psalm opens, the writer is in distress. By the end, he says that God put gladness in his heart and plans to go to sleep. We don’t know if he has what he’s looking for yet, but what he does have is God.
God is strong and hasn’t changed, so you can sleep well tonight.
Reflection Questions:
When life feels chaotic, what is your first response—do you try to handle it alone? Or do you turn to God in prayer?
How can you cultivate a deeper trust in God’s character, even when your circumstances are challenging?
Are there areas in your life where you’re holding on to anger or anxiety instead of bringing them to God in prayer?
How can you remind yourself to pause and acknowledge God’s faithfulness, even before asking for His help?