Submitted by Kevin Erickson on October 4, 2008 - 10:41am.

“When you are disturbed, do not sin; ponder it on your beds, and be silent. Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord” (Psalm 4.4-5).

During the course of my day, there are so many things to become disturbed about. Perhaps I’ve been misunderstood or treated unfairly. Perhaps someone is rude to me on the bus or someone cuts me off in traffic. Perhaps I repeatedly find myself coming up against a personal limitation that I had really hoped I would have been able to overcome on my own. The Psalmist reminds me to take some time, to take a few deep breaths, to reflect, to practice relaxation techniques, to pray, to talk with a friend, to meditate, to sleep on it. The Psalmist reminds me to not so quickly react. After taking some time to pause, I’m then much less likely to deal with my disturbance by over-reacting or by responding in kind (or what the Psalmist calls “sin”). I’m also much more likely to discern what God‘s will is for a particular situation and then “offer right sacrifices” of love, acceptance, patience, understanding, confession, and forgiveness. Having paused and consciously taken my disturbance to God, I find that I can once again “put my trust in the Lord.”

Dear Lord, when I find myself feeling disturbed, help me to resist the temptation to immediately react, and instead re-center myself in you. Help me to remember that you are always with me, even within my most trying circumstances, and that all that is required of me is to simply turn again in openness toward you. Amen.

Meditations