Psalm 4:1 – Remembering God’s Grace

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!

Grace – God’s unmerited favor to the infinitely ill-deserving. I heard on a podcast recently that if there is any one subject in studying God and His Word that is to be majored in, it is grace. Grace is a central theme of the entire Bible. In the ESV, the word grace is found nearly 300 times, “chen” in the Old Testament and “charis” in the New.

Grace is a divine gift from God. God’s “common” grace is found everywhere around us – we don’t have to look far. God’s grace is the air that sustains our lives. God’s grace is the heart that pumps our blood. God’s grace is found in love. I woke up this morning, and God’s grace was lying next to me in the form of my wife; God’s grace is that somebody as wretched and sinful as me could ever experience such a feeling as love. All these, and more, are God’s unmerited favor to us, the infinitely ill-deserving. God’s grace surrounds us and sustains us. Our very lives are owed to God’s grace.

To understand the gravity of this psalm and the depth of God’s grace, it’s worth remembering who David was. In 1 Samuel 13:14, God speaks through Samuel that David will be “a man after His own heart.” He is remembered as Israel’s greatest king, a man of faith. The etymology of David’s name is “well-beloved, dear.” God made a covenant with David that his descendants would rule His people forever, which was fulfilled through Jesus of Nazareth, who comes from David’s genealogy and hometown. Although David’s life was marked by serious sin, his humble repentance and dependence on God reveal why he is counted among the righteous. David in all his majesty and righteousness recognizes he needs God’s grace; he knew his “merit” wasn’t enough.

In the very first sentence of this psalm, David recognizes God’s grace. When David says God of my righteousness, he acknowledges that any right standing, any merit, is owed to God’s grace. He is not claiming righteousness, but acknowledging God as the source of his vindication. David shows how he trusts God’s character. He understands that true righteousness is only found in God. He recognizes God’s grace in recalling You have given me relief when I was in distress. David has faith, trust, in God.

David calls out, asking God to be gracious to me and hear my prayer! David cries for God’s mercy upon him. So many of the psalms contain this phrase, and I’m guilty of overlooking it. David knows that any good in his life is owed to God, and he is totally dependent on God’s grace. Time and time again, David habitually calls upon God’s grace.

How many times have we called out for God’s grace? How often do we recognize it? I’m often cavalier about God’s grace, thinking that I deserve the simple blessings in my life. We are owed nothing but death for our rebellion, and yet God is abundantly merciful. I carry an attitude of privilege when I ought to carry an attitude of awestruck gratitude.

May we all learn from David: God’s grace is totally unmerited, even to “the man after God’s own heart.” When we encounter challenges, we ought to lean on God’s past faithfulness and present grace to us. We are entirely undeserving of all the mercies God has graciously given us. Grace is God’s unmerited favor to the infinitely ill-deserving. May we never forget this truth. We have so much to be grateful for, all of them due to God’s grace.

"The best of saints must still appeal to God's mercy and sovereign grace." Charles Spurgeon on Psalm 4, Treasury of David