Psalm 4:8
In complete peace I will lie down, and I will sleep, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
Applying God’s Word for today: God delivers our peace.
There is a vulnerability when we sleep; you might hope that if something does happen, you would be startled and woken up to react. Some people might not have the complete peace that David recorded for us, and when you consider David’s life and all the people who came after him, it can feel as if he lived in a combat zone. One might wonder: How did David have complete peace?
Worldly peace is one thing, but it is fleeting, here today and gone tomorrow. The peace David had was knowing and trusting in God, and it never ends. He knew the forgiveness God had for him through the promise of the Messiah who would come from one of his descendants – Mary. Jesus would take every one of David’s sins – and ours – to the cross with him. Our sins divide and separate us from God, and in that state, there is no true peace. However, David’s hope was in God’s Son, the Savior to come. So David could confidently lie down, knowing that even if his life were taken in the middle of the night, he would sleep with the Lord.
Through the forgiveness Jesus won for us on the cross and by faith in Christ, we, too, can be confident of our salvation and our hope in the Lord. So when we lie down that last time and close our eyes in the sleep of bodily death, we will rest eternally with the Lord. We will have no more suffering, pain, sickness, or sin; we will have complete peace to dwell safely with him forever. Let your confidence and trust be in the true peace only God can give you, and share that peace with those who do not know him. Let them, too, dwell in God’s peace by faith in Jesus as their Savior.
Dear Lord God, grant us a faith like David’s, so we may confidently know Your peace. Grant us forgiveness for all our sins, so we can rest in You, knowing Your protection is a fortress around us. Please keep and sustain us, so that if our lives end while we rest, You will take us to be with You in heaven forever. Grant us this gift of peace that comes only through faith in Jesus, Your Son, our Savior, and share it with others. Amen.
Rest confidently in the Lord. Jesus has forgiven every one of your sins, endured all your punishment on the cross, and given you His righteousness. Rest in peace through faith in Jesus.