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"I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety". (Psalm 4:8)
David ends Psalm 4 on the note of peace, rest and safety in the Lord. Earlier in Psalm 3, he spoke about how the Lord gave him sleep in times of trouble. Now, as he concluded his prayer and meditation in Psalm 4, he showed us the attitude we should have after prayer.
There is a place in our spiritual life for intensive prayer. The scriptures note that our Lord Jesus occasionally prayed passionately. Many of the biblical patriarchs had moments of fervent intercession as they sought the Lord for one thing or the other. Some prayed for long hours over many days and years for God’s intervention.
However, after we have poured our hearts to the Lord, we must also enter His rest.
There is an aspect of prayer that enables us to engage in spiritual warfare. Through that kind of prayer, we contend spiritually for the victory that Christ has already won for us through His sacrifice on the cross. We do not wrestle spiritually in our strength; we do it in the power of the Holy Spirit.
After we have done battle in the spirit, we must step into the Lord’s victory. That is why after spiritual warfare, we must find rest in the Lord. Being a soldier, David understood the need for combat. He also knew that he had to enter into God’s rest after he had waged a war. That is why, in both Psalms 3 and 4, after David had mentioned the battles that he had fought, he ended by affirming God’s peace. That is something we can learn from David. We must settle in God’s rest, even in the fiercest of our battles.
The reason David could find rest while enemies surrounded him was that he knew the Lord as the one who made him dwell in safety. Today, we can find rest in the Lord and enjoy the peace that comes from trusting in Him.