1 Answer me when I call, God of my righteousness. Give me relief from my distress. Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.
2 You sons of men, how long shall my glory be turned into dishonor? Will you love vanity, and seek after falsehood? Selah.
3 But know that Yahweh has set apart for himself him who is godly: Yahweh will hear when I call to him.
Free Grace note
God of my righteousness: the plea rests on God, not on the record. David opens by calling God the God of my righteousness. In three words he tells you where his confidence sits. The righteousness is God's, not his own, and so is the standing to be heard. He does not come pleading a spotless record; he comes remembering that the Lord has set apart for Himself those who are His, and that the Lord will hear when His own call to Him. Assurance like this is not arrogance. It rests on God's choosing, not the pray-er's performance. A maturing believer learns to pray this way: not, God should hear me because I have been good, but, God hears me because He has made me His. That is why 1 John 5:14-15 can speak of confidence in prayer. The confidence is borrowed from God's character, not manufactured by our own.
4 Stand in awe, and don’t sin. Search your own heart on your bed, and be still. Selah.
5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness. Put your trust in Yahweh.
6 Many say, “Who will show us any good?” Yahweh, let the light of your face shine on us.
7 You have put gladness in my heart, more than when their grain and their new wine are increased.
8 In peace I will both lay myself down and sleep, for you, Yahweh alone, make me live in safety.
Free Grace note
Safety is a gift held while you sleep. The psalm ends where a trusting heart always ends: lying down in peace to sleep. In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for you, Yahweh alone, make me live in safety. That word alone is the whole gospel of grace tucked into a bedtime prayer. Safety is not something you achieve and then stand guard over all night. It is a gift the Lord holds while you are unconscious and doing nothing at all. Sleep is a small daily picture of trust: you release control and rest on Another. Notice too that David's gladness in verse 7 runs deeper than a full harvest. Harvest joy fades with the season, but God-given gladness does not, because its source never once runs dry. Rest tonight on the One who keeps you, not on how well you performed today.
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