A few years ago, Sports Illustrated did a tribute article on Coach Bill Bowerman after his death in 1999. Bill was the head track coach at Oregon University for 24 years. Under his leadership, Oregon produced 31 Olympians, 51 All-Americans, 4 NCCA team titles and in1962, Bowerman wrote the book “Jogging” that spurred the start of the jogging and fitness phenomenon in the U.S.. A few years later, on a handshake agreement, Bowerman joined a former track athlete of his to form a sports company called ‘Blue Ribbon Sports”. The name of that former athlete was Phil Knight. Most of the world is familiar with ‘Blue Ribbon Sports’ because it is now known by the brand name NIKE! If you ever visit the headquarters of NIKE, you will notice it is located on ‘Bowerman Drive’ but Bowerman’s claim to fame may be that he ruined his wife’s waffle iron trying to make those waffle shoe soles that NIKE was first famous for.
In the tribute article, there was one phrase that stood out to me, “Coach Bowerman awoke each morning with a new set of eyes.”
I believe God, even when it is hard, wants His people to continually wake up each day with a new set of eyes – eyes to see Him clearly and follow Him faithfully. Obviously, this is hard because life is hard. Life can impair our vision and blind us to the truth. That’s why I’m so thankful for passages like Psalm 4 that help me see the truth more clearly.
The context of Psalm 4 is a natural disaster (probably drought), and despite all that Yahweh has done for His people, in spite of His loyal love, His covenant with them and His provisions for them, the Israelites, and especially the leaders, have immediately began to doubt and slander God. They even seek other gods to help them in their time of need. Add to that, the Israelites have turned their doubt, hurt, anger and unbelief on God’s anointed, David. David is certainly frustrated. He is exasperated. So now life is hard for both David and the people of Israel and this gives us a front row view of how each of them will respond to a life that is hard. The difference between David and the people is simple, but so profound. David has a clear vision of God - the people can only see their circumstances.
Psalms 4:1: Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!
As you can see, the first thing David did was press the “HELP” button. David cries out for help from God because he needs relief that a pack of Rolaids will not provide. He needs help personally and he sure needs some rain to fall to show the people that Yahweh knows, cares and in His timing, will provide. This is not David’s first cry to God. Notice the tense of the verb, ‘You have given me relief when I was in distress’. David has experienced God’s faithfulness to him in the past. This is why Isaiah tells us: “Remember the former things long past, for I am God and there is no other, I am God and there is no one like me.”
David does have a past in His journey with God. Yes, God chose him as a ruddy teenager. Yes, ole King Saul needed a harp player and guess whose name was brought up…David! Just a coincidence? Nope, there are no coincidences with God. Yes, David defeated Goliath, but David remembers that it was God who trained him for that very day while he was alone with God in the pastures of Israel, killing the lion and the bear. In 1 Samuel 30, we get to see again how David responds to people wanting to kill him: “but David strengthened himself in the Lord his God by remembering God’s past faithfulness to him.” David’s response here is a great truth principle that would spare you and I lots of regret if we to were to apply it… ‘David first talks to God before he talks to people.’ As I read this ‘truth’ principle, flashes of me NOT doing this are running through my mind. In complete honesty, I have a good amount of shame around hurting others simply because I failed to apply this crucial and godly truth. Lord, help me continue to learn and apply this truth!
David now turns his conversation with God into an exhortation to the people of God. In other words, because David has a clear vison of God, he can now respond to the people of God in a way that honors God himself.
In vv. 2-7 David encourages Israel to ‘not hit eject on God’ when life is hard. It’s the same response Peter gave in John 6 when Jesus had preached a hard sermon and everyone left the audience but a few and Jesus ask, ‘Why don’t you leave also?’. Peter responds correctly: ‘Where else can we go Lord, for only you know how to really live.’ In these verses, David also provides some truth nuggets for the people of God. 1. Be faithful instead of fickle (vs. 2-4). 2. Be calm instead of furious (4-5). 3. Be hopeful instead of fed up.( 6-7). Certainly these are 4 truths we can hang our hat on when life is hard that can help us see with fresh eyes.
I do love how Patrick Morley, author of ‘Man in the Mirror’, speaks to our bent to be fickle: “There is a God we want and there is a God who is and they are not the same God. The turning point of our lives is when we stop seeking the God we want and we start seeking the God who is.” And, I’ll add…to do this, we need a new set of eyes. Lord, let us see you for who you really are!
Lastly, David pulls the TRUST trigger in verse 8, “In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” This response by David is the result of seeing God for who He really is. Is this not the result we want? That during a hard season of life, we are still able to lie down at night and sleep in PEACE knowing without a doubt that God has our back. That you and I have great hope even while we are asleep because we serve a God who never sleeps. That the ability for God’s people to sleep peacefully at anytime is a precious gift but especially when life is hard. Yes, this is the way! So when ‘Life is Hard’ (not if), let us learn to wake up each day with a new set of eyes that enables us see and trust our faithful God more and more.