Psalm 4: ⁴ When you are disturbed, do not sin; ponder it on your beds, and be silent. ⁵ Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord. 

The Hebrew word translated as “disturbed” has a bit more intensity to it than would appear. It refers to being very angry, in a rage. When our blood is up it’s tempting to take matters in our own hands and lash out. The Lord counsels us to “ponder it” and “be silent”. Again, “ponder it” might be translated “pray about it”. It’s asking the Lord to deal with the issue so that we might “be silent”.

That sounds well and good, but it’s hard for me to do this. Really hard. If I’m honest I tend to find some satisfaction in dealing with a difficult person or situation on my own. Makes me feel that I have agency. This passage challenges me to give it to God instead, to “put your trust in the Lord”. This might also be understood as a biblical definition of “forgiveness”. Forgiveness isn’t forgetting what happened. but giving to God the burden of righting the wrong.

Lord this is a difficult teaching. Give me grace to place my trust in you when I want to act on my own. Amen.