Psalm 4

Architect of Salvation

Lord God,

You are the Architect of My Salvation;

the one who began this good work in me.

Do not be silent when I cry out to You;

when I lift my voice in the dark.

For Your words are a comfort to me;

a steady hand on a restless heart.

Others mock me;

they don’t understand;

they worship at the altars of their own eloquence,

filled with godless knowledge.

But You, Lord,

turn Your heart to the humble,

drawing them unto Yourself.

You are not silent when we call,

desperate in our hour of need.

The gods of the nations are deaf and dumb,

but You see.

You hear.

You speak.

May I learn to practice wisdom—

restraining anger;

extending mercy.

By the working of Your Spirit,

may I praise You as You rightly deserve—

entrusting my future to Your providence.

My present to Your mercy.

My end to Your grace.

I bristle at the discontentment of others:

those who are blessed,

yet beg for blessing;

who are clothed and fed by the hand of God,

yet refuse to bear Your cross,

so at ease are they in their comforts.

But my roots run deeper;

You have filled me with the laughter of Heaven.

The wicked feast when fortune befalls them,

but I am at peace in Your presence.

You, Lord, are my joy—

not the blessings of Your hand;

the innumerable gifts of Your grace—

but You and You alone,

watching over me in the night,

like a mother with her child—

whispering rest;

sheltering me with mercy.