This is a psalm of David again. He is praying to God as well as speaking in his heart to those who shame him. Who listen to lies about him and repeat them as if they are truth. His trust is in his God who "does what is right."
It made me think of I John 3:19-23: This is the way we know that we belong to the way of truth. When our hearts make us feel guilty we can still have peace with God. God is greater than our hearts and He knows everything. My dear friends, if our hearts do not make us feel guilty, we can come into God's presence without fear. And God gives us what we ask for because we obey God's commands and do what pleases Him. This is what God commands: That we believe in His Son, Jesus the Christ, and that we love each other.
My heart is sometimes untrustworthy. It feels what it feels. I have prayed for things that I should not have - that actually would have destroyed me. I have wanted things I should not touch. When I pray, I am learning to say, "However, Lord, You know everything. You are greater than my heart." I need what I know to speak to what I feel. I serve a God who does what is right.
Here is the beautiful thing about I John 3. I can still come before my God when my heart is guilty of wanting the wrong thing. Maybe I should come to Him most of all then, because He can parse for me what is good from what is not. You may think you are always right in your opinions and thoughts, but your God IS always right. When things I pray for don't manifest, should I then grumble at God? I have, for sure! The imperative David states in Psalm 4 is for God to answer his prayer because God is right, not because David is.
So how do I know when my prayer is in line with His will? I John 3 says it does not matter when you come to God that you always know what to pray because God will answer the prayer of the ones who obey His commands and love His Son. Why is that? Because we are His children, too. And because He knows your way and your heart, you can trust Him to answer you with what is best for you. Ouch! You mean He won't answer it the way I want. Often, yes! Sometimes, no. But "no" is an answer, too.
And the two commands? That you love Jesus and that you love one another. You thought I was going for the commands on the tablets, huh? I love the quote from St. Augustine: "Love God and do whatever you want." Love constrains us. Lover pleases lover. The heart of the Father is soft toward His children who come into His presence loving Him with all their hearts. He takes us into His heart and listens, encourages, directs even if we come with a heart that is guilty. He can fix that because He knows why our hearts feel as they do. He can change hearts as He can change events. The important thing is that we come to Him without fear knowing that He is fair and just and knows more than we do. He has the bird's eye view of all of history from beginning to end, and He has His eye on me.
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