Well, turn with me, if you will please, in your Bibles to Psalm 4. To Psalm 4. I often quote, you may wonder, why Psalm 4? Well, I often quote it. I often quote verse 8. I will both lay me down in peace and sleep, for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.

But also, and you don't know it yet, most of you, but Sam has set it to music, and one of these days we'll hear it, I'm sure, and we're looking forward to that. But that caused me, prompted me, spurred me on to dig deeper into this psalm. It's a psalm of David, it says that in the title at the top. To the chief musician on neginoth, that's stringed instruments, a psalm of David.

So it's 3,000 years old. 3,000. Think about it. You know, you think back. People learning history in school go, oh, 1066, William the Conqueror. That's a long time ago. It's not even 1,000 years ago yet. A few more years before it's 1,000 years. This is 3,000 years old.

Yet by it, God is pleased to speak to his people in this world today. It's as One of us, was it me, said in the prayer that these things were written of old. These things were written of old for our learning. and for our comfort that by comfort of the scriptures we might have hope. God speaks to his people in the world today from these words even though they're three thousand years old and the message is still as relevant as ever. It's the same message as the whole of scripture. It's the message which is the reason that God gave his word in this world. It's a message of salvation.

When you're saved, you're saved from something. You're saved from drowning. You're saved from burning to death. You're saved from something. It's salvation from sin against God. From the condemnation, which is the just consequence of that sin. From the enmity with God, which is the recognition of the incompatibility that there is between sin and sinners and God, who is holy. It's salvation from that, and it's salvation to eternal peace. Salvation to eternal peace. Salvation to eternal gladness. A feeling, a notion, a knowledge, an experience of being right with God.

How does it do this? It must speak of Christ. It must do. He said, these scriptures speak of me. That's what they're about. Beginning at Moses and the prophets, he expounded to the disciples when he'd risen from the dead. the things in his word which speak of himself. It must speak of Christ. And if we don't see it speaking of Christ, we're not looking hard enough, and we're not asking for the help that God gives. It must speak of Christ, and it must point to redeeming blood.

It records the experience It records the experience, firstly, of David, because it's a psalm of David 3,000 years ago. The shepherd boy, the sweet psalmist of Israel, who became the king over that prosperous kingdom. It speaks, secondly, of great David's greater son. It speaks of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is great David's greater son. It speaks of the man that was God, that is God. God became man.

It speaks of Him, and it speaks of His sacrifice of righteousness, which is in there, in the middle of it. Verse 5, sacrifices of righteousness, it speaks of that. And thirdly, it speaks of His people saved. It speaks of the gospel, because the gospel is the power of God unto salvation, says Paul in Romans 1. He says it's the power of God unto salvation, and it's the power of God to that beloved multitude of his people. As many of the Psalms, it was to be sung in worship, and it was addressed at the top there to the chief musician on Neginoth, their stringed instruments. It was to be accompanied by stringed instruments.

It was musical, and you know, Heaven is filled with music and singing. I'm not just speculating. Read Revelation. They sang a new song. They sang in the courts of heaven. They sang, worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive all honor. Heaven is filled with music. Music, singing.

And singing who to? Well, this is addressed to the chief musician. And I guess there was a chief musician for the temple worship at the time. And it was addressed to him to have it played on stringed instruments. But is it not alluding to the heavenly chief musician? There's one in heaven who has a name which is above all names. Is there not clearly an allusion to God revealed in Christ?

Believers, This is drawing us to set our eyes on him in glory and to rest and rejoice in all that he has done for his people. For me, if I'm his child, for all that he has done for me, to rest and rejoice in that. That's what he does for believers. But for unbelievers, it paints a picture of eternal reality. It paints a picture of divine truth that though people ignore it and carry on their lives as if it wasn't true, it remains true and they cannot alter it. It's a picture of divine truth and it's a picture of your peril, unbeliever, if you miss it or if you neglect it. 4, Hebrews chapter 2 says, how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?

So it takes the form of a prayer which is answered in a way that often is the case in scripture. It takes the form of a prayer which is answered by delineating the separation, the difference between the world around us in which we live and the Lord's set-apart people. Why do I say set-apart people? Verse three, the Lord has set apart him that is godly for himself. So I've got four headings this morning.

First of all, the answered prayer. Where's the prayer? Hear me when I call, the very first words. Oh God of my righteousness, hear me when I call in my distress, hear me. The answered prayer. Secondly, the godless world. Thirdly, a peculiar people, and that's why the hymn that we just sang talked about a peculiar people, that hymn of Gadsby. And then fourthly, finally, briefly, peace and safety. So first of all, the answered prayer, the answered prayer.

Here it is in verse one. Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness. Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress. Have mercy upon me. Hear my prayer. And he answers it, verse seven. 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. There's a prayer that goes out in the first verse and shows that it's been answered in verses seven and eight.

David was distressed. He says there in verse 1, when I was in distress, he is praying now as he prayed before because God answered him. God met his need when he was in distress in the past. So this is the experience of the believer. God has answered my prayer in the past. Answer my prayer again, I pray. David was distressed. He was distressed in life. He had lots of trials in life. He was distressed with enemies all around. And he spent a lot of his time fighting enemies. He was distressed with trials of life. He was distressed with fears.

At the time, well, if you look at the previous psalm, Psalm 3, it seems that he wrote that when he was fleeing from whom? His enemy? Yes, who was his enemy? Absalom, his son. He was terrified of Absalom, his son, because Absalom was seeking to kill him, to take the throne away from him. Fears, he had fears. He was fearful and distressed by his own sin. He knew that he was a sinner. You know, when you read Psalm 51, against thee, thee only have I sinned. He knew about his sin. He'd experienced God's help in the past. So now his prayer is, hear me again, hear me now and have mercy. To whom is he praying?

Oh God of my righteousness. Oh God of my righteousness. This is the God to whom the people of God pray. He's not only creator, as great as that is, he's not only the upholder and the sustainer of all things, he's not only the source of all life, but he's my personal God. Oh God of my righteousness. Oh God of my righteousness.

In Jeremiah 23, I've quoted this before, but it'll be worth saying again. In Jeremiah 23, verse six, The Redeemer, God in the person of his Son, is identified with a name, and his name is the Lord our righteousness. How are you gonna be righteous before God? The Lord must be your righteousness. Oh God of my righteousness.

In Jeremiah 23 verse six, he is identified as the Lord, the righteousness of his people. His people are righteous in him. His people are only righteous in him. They have no righteousness of themselves, for all their righteousnesses are as filthy rags in his sight.

And then in Jeremiah 33, And verse 16, he calls the people whom he loved, who he wedded to himself from eternity, that is going to be consummated in that great marriage supper of the Lamb in eternity. He calls those people, this is the name by which she shall be called, he calls them the Lord our righteousness. And as I've said before, it's as if, and please don't take this as irreverent, but it's as if he's saying, he, our God, is Mr. the Lord, our righteousness, and his people are Mrs. the Lord, our righteousness.

Do you see that picture from marriage? As Paul says in Ephesians 5, he says, when he's talking about husbands and wives and the right relationship, he says, but I'm speaking about Christ and his church. Is he your God? Is he your God? If he's your God, you'll say this, He is my all and he's in all. That's what it says in Colossians 3. Is it verse 11? Yes. Christ is all and in all. Is he your all and in all? And by that I mean, does he have the place which is preeminent? Preeminent.

As Mary said when she was Pregnant with the Lord Jesus Christ and she met with her cousin and she said my spirit has Rejoiced in God my Savior for she knew by divine revelation that that child which was conceived in her was of God, and he was the Lord's Saviour come to save his people from their sins. This cry is to the sovereign omnipotent. You say, why am I saying these things? Because God is God over all.

You know, the God of religion in the world around about us, We were reading something this morning, and it was a piece by Don Faulkner in the Daily Readings. And he said that the God of religion today, the God which calls itself the God of Christianity, is as close to the God revealed in the scripture as a flickering candle is to the midday burning sun. There's just no comparison. They're just so far apart.

This is a cry to the omnipotent God. Omnipotent, all-powerful, all-able-to-do. Omniscient, knows everything, knows everything. Where shall I flee from his presence? He's everywhere, omnipresent. There's nowhere I can go where I can escape him. the great God who has done all things and yet he's the personal God.

He's the God who loves his people. For again in Jeremiah 31 verse 3, he tells his people, I have loved you with an everlasting love. There never was a time when God did not love this people. He is the God of his beloved people who he has made righteous in his son. He's made us righteous in His Son. It tells us that clearly. He's made us the righteousness of God in Him. If you are believing and resting and trusting in Christ, you are made the righteousness of God in Him, and therefore you are accepted in the Beloved.

The world in various ways prays, you know, something happens, You'll hear politicians say, oh, they're in our prayers, they're in our thoughts and prayers, religion. Politicians, people pray to impotent idols. They do, they set up their imaginary gods in their minds and they bow down and pray to impotent idols.

But this is true God. This is the true God, the one and only true God, whom to know is life. Jesus said in his high priestly prayer in John 17 and verse three, that they might know you. He's praying to his Father that they might know you, Father, the only true God. And how do we know the only true God? Through Jesus Christ, whom he has sent. That they might know you, for to know God is life. To not know God is to miss out on the truth of life. And God's people pray to him.

They say in verse six, at the second half of verse six, Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. This is the prayer of the one drawn to God. Lord, lift up the light of thy countenance upon us. You know, it says in 2nd Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 6, it talks about God who caused light to shine in the darkness, when at the beginning of time, at creation, God said there, right in the early verses of Genesis 1, God said, let there be light. And there was light, and God saw the light, and it was good. God, who at creation said, let light shine in darkness, it says, has shined in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Lord, lift up the light of thy countenance upon us.

From the immensity of creation to the hidden depths of an individual believer's heart, the prayer is heard. and the prayer is answered. Lord, hear me when I call. Hear me when I call. And he does hear, and he answers. He puts gladness in the 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 to dwell in safety. Distress is turned into gladness. Enmity with God is turned into peace with God. Fear of what the night might hold. Fear of what the next day might hold. Fear of what eternity might hold. Fear is turned to peace and to sleep. Danger, a sense of danger. Fear of danger is turned to a sense of great safety.

Not only for David, but for Christ himself as the man. When Jesus walked this earth as God made man, he prayed to his father, read the gospels. How much time did our Lord Jesus Christ spend apart on his own? He went up into a mountain to pray. Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness. In the garden of Gethsemane, O Lord, if it be possible, take this cup from me. This is the man who was God, for in him dwelt the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Yet he, as a man, a little lower for a little while than the angels, he's praying to his Father to support him, to uphold him.

He's the anointed servant of God, yet God has promised to keep him as he accomplishes the mission on which he was sent. And what was the mission on which he was sent? That of all that the Father gave to him from before the beginning of time, he should lose none but raise it up at the last day. How should he lose none but raise it up at the last day? By saving them from their sins.

He sweat, as it were, in that garden of Gethsemane, drops of blood. great distress, he was horrified at the thought, the coming on experience of being made sin. for one who is holy and without sin, for one who is eternal God, to be made sin. But he was sustained through it. Why was he sustained through it? It says, you put gladness in my heart. He says, it was for the joy that was set before him that he endured the cross, despising the shame. For the joy that was, what was the joy that was set before him? Behold, I and the children whom he has given me. Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors.

But it's also, also, it was for David, it's for Jesus the man, it's also for his people in this world, in all the trials of life. As we go through life, facing all of its difficulty, facing our mortality, struggling with the flesh, we can be comforted. For we're told in the scripture, as he, as Christ is in this world, so are we. That's 1 John 4 verse 17. As he is, so are we in this world. What a comfort for the people of God. So how does God make his people glad and give peace? We've had the prayer at the start, we've had the answer at the end, but how does he do it?

Let's look at the middle verses. the godless world around. Verse two, O ye sons of men, how long will you turn my glory to shame? How long will you love vanity and seek after leasing, which is lying, which is untruth, which is falsehood? And wherever it says see lie, it means pause, stop, think for a moment before you go on. And in verse six, there'll be many that say, who will show us any good?

He contrasts the lost world around with the grace of God to his people. As in Psalm 73, I wrote an article in the bulletin. If any of you know Psalm 73, it's a powerful message. It's a believer who has been trying to serve God. And as a result, he feels that he's suffered all sorts of problems that the ungodly never ever suffer. He said, they prosper. Everything goes well for them. They don't seem to have any trouble like I have trouble. They seem to have happy deaths and not like me.

I'm just feeling in such anxiety and such such difficult times. I try to do the work of the kingdom of God and I suffer losing prosperity as a result of that. And he's envious at the prosperity of the ungodly until he thinks, I'm going to make this known and I'm going to walk out on this. And then he says, oh, if I say that, I will offend against the people of God, against the children of God. I'll offend against those who are his people.

And what does he do? He goes into the sanctuary. He goes into, well, it would have been the tabernacle at the time that he wrote before Solomon had the temple built, but he went into the sanctuary where were all of the symbols of the gospel there in the sanctuary. They're all there. That's what it was. It's that which Christ came to fulfill.

And when he went in there and saw the way things really are in terms of eternity and peace with God and salvation, then it says, then knew I their end. Then knew I that these of whom I have been in my flesh envious, that their end was bad. Their end was a lost eternity. Then knew I their end. Then knew I that there was an enormous difference that God had made between this seemingly prosperous world and me.

The godless world is immense today, isn't it? It's immense. I've quoted once or twice, I'm pretty sure that if we believe the statistics, and I'm not sure to what extent we can thoroughly believe them, but if we believe the statistics, in my lifetime, the population of the world has trebled. There are three, for every one person there was when I was born, there are now three walking this planet. The godless world is immense. And it's like the days of Noah. In the days of Noah, they were going about their business, a widely populated world.

They turned God's glory to shame and loved vanity and lies. O sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory to shame? This is what God says to the unbelieving world. O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory to shame? How long will you love vanity and seek after leasing, after lying, after falsehood?

God looked down from heaven on the world of the days of Noah. And he said in Genesis 6 verse 5, that every imagination of the heart of man was only evil continually. He says in Jeremiah that the heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? God knows it. God knows it. When the Son of Man comes, he said, Jesus said this, when the Son of Man comes, when he returns, Will he find faith on the earth?

It's a rare thing, is what his implication was. It's a very rare thing to be amongst those. Why are there so few of us gathered in this room this morning, and a few more out there on the internet? Why are there so few of us, relatively speaking? Why is it not a popular thing?

Because God has made a difference. God has made a difference. God has been pleased. If you seek him, and if you find him, And if you walk in his ways, he's made a difference. He has opened your eyes. He's given you the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

How does this unbelieving world turn the glory of God to shame? Look, you sons of men, how long will you turn my glory to shame? How does it do that? In Exodus chapter 33, In Exodus chapter 33, you see the clue is in the words. The clue is in the words. How long do you turn my glory to shame? Moses asked God, what was his glory? Show me your glory. Verse 18 of Exodus 33, he said, I beseech thee. Moses said to God, show me your glory.

And God's answer was this. He said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee. and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee, and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. That is the goodness of God. That is the grace of God. That is the glory of God. The glory of God is the salvation of the people he loved from all eternity. It's the salvation of those people whom he set apart and united with Christ before the beginning of time, to save them from sin, to save them out of this fallen world, and to do it entirely of his own sovereign grace and for his own glory.

And the unbelieving world shuns that. The unbelieving world despises that. They turn the glory of God, which is a glorious thing, the salvation of the people he loved, they turn it to shame. They despise the salvation that God has accomplished and the people who profess its truth. They despise it. Do you believe the gospel? Do you exalt God's glory? Because if you believe the gospel, you do exalt God's glory. then what can you expect? Expect to be at best kept at arm's length from the world, and at worst, to be hated by the unbelieving world. Turn to John 15. John 15 and verse 18. John 15 and verse 18. Jesus says this to his disciples.

If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love his own. But because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said to you, the servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. You see, the world hates the gospel of God. They've turned the glory of God unto shame.

Life in the world without God is As Ecclesiastes says, vanity, vanity, all is vanity. Is there anything good in it? No, it's all vanity. Solomon, who had everything that money could buy, anything that he could wish, and he tried it all and he found that it was all vanity. He found it was all broken cisterns. Cisterns that can hold no water, it says in Jeremiah. And there's that hymn, I tried the broken systems, Lord, but all the waters failed. And even as I stooped to drink, they mocked me as I wailed.

The world discovers the vanity of the world. And in verse six, they cry out, who will show us any good? Is there any good left? The thing is that they have turned the truth of God, which is the only thing that is good, they've turned it into a lie. Look there, he says, verse 24 of Romans 1, God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts to dishonor their own bodies between themselves, who changed the truth of God into a lie.

They go after leasing, lying. They changed the truth of God into a lie and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is God, blessed forever. Is that not the case? They worship and serve the creature more than the Creator. Look at the natural history presenters on the BBC. We get this wonderful photography, this absolutely marvellous photography, and yet the prime presenters that are always there are the ones who've turned the truth of God into a lie. They don't worship the creator. They worship the creature rather than the creator. They've turned the truth of God into a lie in conflict with God and his truth and his people. The seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. The seed of the woman is the church, the people of God. The seed of the serpent is the rest. They can't agree and they never will, as Jesus said.

Ishmael, thinking of the sons of Abraham, Ishmael will always mock Isaac. Are you a believer? Then you'll feel this. You're not of the world, but chosen out of the world, as we read in John 15. Christ's redeemed people are misunderstood, they're suspected, they're avoided, they're persecuted by the world, but they're rooted in an eternal home. Oh, they're misunderstood by the world, but they're understood in heaven, They're seated there in heavenly places in Christ. They're managed, their life is managed by a sovereign God and that's what the world finds so hard to see and understand when true believers go through trials and yet they remain.

You know, Job's wife, Job went through great trials and he was in great anguish and pain of body and pain of spirit and he'd lost all. And it was all of God's doing because he was his child and he was going to bring him to eternal peace and glory. And Job had lost everything and his wife said to him, curse God and die. if you're in that situation, and he said, though he slay me, yet shall I worship.

I've got the quote wrong, but you know what I mean. Whatever he does to me, I will worship him because he is my God. I'm seated in heavenly places in Christ. He manages my affairs. He causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. You see, whatever this world of Men who despise the gospel of God and love vanity and love lies turn the truth of God into a lie. Whatever they do to God's people, God has promised to honor his people who honor him. It's 1 Samuel 2, verse 30. He that honors me, him will I honor, is the word of God to his people.

And so, verses 3 to 5, what does he show? He contrasts that with the people that he's called. In verses 3 to 5 he shows us a peculiar people, a contrast from the world, a people set apart. Verse three. Know that the Lord has set apart him that is godly for himself. The Lord will hear when I call unto him. Stand in awe and sin not. Commune with your own heart upon your bed and be still. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness and put your trust in the Lord. This is a people set apart by God. Sanctified is what set apart means. Sanctified for God's service.

Facing distress in a world, facing distress in the flesh, what greater comfort than to know that your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Jesus sent out the disciples and they came back rejoicing that even the evil spirits were subject to them. And he said to them, don't rejoice in that, rejoice rather in this, that your names are written in heaven. Oh, what greater joy and comfort to know that your name is written in the Lamb's book of life.

This is God's glory. This is God's gospel. He has his elect multitude. He has his bride. He has the bride of Christ, children given by the Father to the Son to be with him eternally. What is it that marks out these people that are set apart? Well, first of all, look in verse 3.

Him that is godly for himself. Him that is godly. What is it to be godly? Can any of us stand up and say, I am godly? Well, God calls his people godly. They fear God. They fear God. You know, there's no fear of God before their eyes, is another one of the accusations against humanity in Romans 1. But the people of God fear God, not in a fear of judgment, for that has been taken away in Christ, but in reverence, in reverence for God. The people of God exalt God. They bow to the greatness of God. They trust God. They trust him. They love him.

Peter, do you love me? Peter, do you love me? Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. Do you love me? The people of God love the Lord Jesus Christ. The people of God know God. This is it, to know God, to be in Him. This is eternal peace, to know God. To know God, I mean, how can you be a child of God, child, if you don't know the Father? They know God, they know their Heavenly Father.

To those God calls godly, nothing and nobody is more precious than God himself. It says in 1 Peter 2 and verse 7, to you who believe, he is precious, precious. You found that pearl of greatest price, said Jesus. All the other jewels of life that you had, you're willing to give them up because that one jewel is precious above all. It takes the preeminence above all other things. It says in Psalm 43, verse four, that God is my exceeding joy. Can you say that of God?

He hears when his children call. Look, in verse three, The end of it. The Lord will hear when I call unto him. He hears his children when they call unto him. He is the God who answers prayer. So, they're godly. Secondly, verse four. Stand in awe and sin not. Sin not? Who is it that can say they sin not? These are the people of God. Who is it that can say they sin not? Those who believe God. Those who believe God.

You see, yes, we sin in the flesh, and that never ends until we leave these bodies. But there's a new man of the Spirit of God that is the result of the gift of faith. There's a new man born again within, and that man believes God, and it says in 1 John, that man cannot sin, for in the one being, in us, in the flesh, there's still the sin of the old man, but there's the new man of the Spirit of God that believes God, that has the faith of God's elect, and that's to do the work that pleases God. Isn't it? What must we do to do the work of God? This is the work of God, that you believe on him whom he has sent. Only the new man of the Spirit of God can do that.

And then thirdly, verse five, offer the sacrifices of righteousness. What is it to offer the sacrifices of righteousness? It's to look to Christ alone, who was made sin, that his beloved people might be made the righteousness of God in him. And in seeing that, don't we see a stark contrast from the unbelieving world around? how blessed to be numbered with those set apart by God.

Verse three, the Lord has set apart him that is godly for himself. In 1 Peter chapter two, look how they're described. And this is, we won't turn to it for the sake of time, but this is quoting Exodus. This is where this comes from. He says, In verse 7, we'll start there, in verse 7 of 1 Peter chapter 2. Unto you therefore which believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, he is precious.

But unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner. He's the foundation stone of his living temple, made of living stones, believing people. And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence even to them which stumble at his word, being disobedient whereunto also they were appointed.

But, but, ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood a holy nation, wholly separate from this world. He set apart a people for himself, a peculiar people. Yes, I know the world thinks that those who believe the gospel of grace are very, very peculiar, and I don't mind that accusation. A peculiar people, different from the world. Why? That you should show forth the praises of him who's called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God, which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

This is what God has done for the people that he set apart. Are you distressed in this world, in whatever state you're in, with whatever troubles that beset us all you're in? Are you distressed? Are you crying to God, hear me when I call? Be assured, be comforted by what he's done for his people. How does that make you feel? Distressed believer, how does it make you feel?

Final point, peace and safety. Verse seven, thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased. There's a picture there that in agricultural communities, there's nothing better than a bumper harvest to make you feel glad. More than in the time that their corn and their wine increased, you put gladness in the heart of his people.

I will both lay me down in peace and sleep, for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety. He's taken this child of God from distress to gladness, to the abundance of blessing, to the abundance of rich provision. It says in Psalm 34 and verse 10, They that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. That's God's promise to his people. In Psalm 23, he says, the Lord is my shepherd. The result of that, I shall not want. There's nothing that I'll be needing. I shall not want.

He turns everything in this earthly life to the good of his set-apart ones. For, as I quoted earlier, he causes all things to work together for good. to those who love God. Read the sufferings of Job. God caused them all to come for his good in the end.

So, I need to be filled with care. I need to be anxious for nothing. Philippians 4 verse 6. Be careful for nothing. Be filled with care for nothing. What keeps you awake at night? What is it? Worries. Concerns. things going against the way you want them to go. Do you believe God will meditate on your place in his eternal purposes and relax in the knowledge that nothing can go against your eternal bliss. Lie down in peace and sleep, confident that your immortal soul is eternally safe. Amen.