Psalms 4 — I Will Both Lay Me Down In Peace, and Sleep
Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness. Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress. Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Many say, Who will shew us any good? Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.
“I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.”
— Psalm 4:8
- v.1-3 Hear me when I call
- v.4-5 Commune with your own heart
- v.6-8 Gladness and peaceful sleep
Thou, Lord, only. The exclusive source of safety. Not security systems, not retirement accounts — He.
A pillow-verse. Pray it as you set the head down. Whatever lies outside your control, He alone keeps you.
Verses 4 and 8 are bedtime discipline and bedtime prayer. Examine the day with God; commit the night to Him. The two motions cover the gap between sundown and dawn.
Christ slept on a cushion in a storm (Mark 4:38). The psalmist's peace at bedtime is the same peace Christ knew and shares with His own.
Commune with your own heart upon your bed. Self-examination at bedtime. The verse commends the small evening discipline.
Be still. Quiet the noise long enough to hear your own conscience. Sleep follows examined honesty.