The theme for today is: Reset.
During Zach’s stay here, we’ve heard the word reset at times. With some of Zach’s setbacks, they’ve had to do a sort of reset. Try something different. Try something new. Adjust there. Adjust here. Then see where he’s at.
Psalm 4 is a reset psalm. Psalm 4 is a personal psalm. David is bold. He is confident. He starts with, not just a request, but an imperative. Answer me! Answer. Me. He has the courage to say to God, “I call. You answer.” David’s been there before. He reminds God of this. “You have given me relief when I was in distress.” I’ve called before. You’ve answered before. Do it again. “Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!” Imperative and exclamatory. A deeply personal psalm. A deeply personal reset.
Psalm 4 is a reset psalm. A reset psalm to encourage people during difficulties and trials. I’m glad David wrote it. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, David tells us to grow up, get up, shake up, and light up.
Grow up. The word for relief means to be enlarged. David called and God enlarged him. David remembers this. God can allow for our troubles and difficulties to be enlarged. But then we become enlarged. We grow. We grow up. We grow up in faith. We grow up in trust. We grow up in character. Troubles and difficulties grow. We grow. Anxieties and fear grow. We grow. Doubt and despair grow. We grow. God gives the relief. God gives the enlargement. God gives the growth. That’s enough to make you get up!
Get up. David gets up and calls out his enemies. He calls out strong men. Men of rank. The high-flying, rich, and powerful. The ones who can do a lot of damage and get away with it. The mafia of that day is all over him. But David doesn’t get down. He gets up. He looks them in the eye. “I’m one of God’s,” he says. “The Lord has set apart the godly for himself.” You can’t touch me. I call. He hears. I call. He saves. I call. He defeats. Time to shake things up.
Shake up. Hard times shake us up. They give our heads a shake. They give our bodies a shake. They bring us face to face with harsh reality. David is all shaken up. He trembles. Trembling so much that he was afraid. Shaken up so much that he was angry. He had a right to be angry and afraid. We have a right to be angry and afraid. Hard times shake us up. Hard times make us tremble. Anger and fear. By God’s grace, David chose righteous anger and righteous fear. So will we. When we do that, God lifts us up. God lights us up.
Light up. Bold David keeps asking. He has no issue with tossing in another imperative. Lift up. “Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord.” Light is a sign of favour. God’s favour. God’s presence. God’s power. Light defeats enemies. Light defeats hard times. Light defeats anger, fear, and sin. Light brings peace, sleep, and safety. Even in the hard times. David lights up with joy in his heart. More joy than all the money, wealth, and luxuries of the mafia. And whether dimly or brightly, flaming or flickering, we will light up with joy as well.
It’s that time again. Reset time. Time to grow up, get up, shake up, and light up. Today’s prayer for us, for Zach, and for all of you reading, is that the Lord make his face shine upon us and be gracious to us; the Lord turn his face toward us and give us peace.
Today’s Updates:
Zach is now off of his post op sedation and back on his regular medications for pain and agitation. Zach was quite active for most of the day, doing similar movements to last week. His level of consciousness remains the same. At the time of writing this, Zach is peacefully resting with a normal heart rate.
They were able to insert another PICC line in Zach today for long term antibiotics and blood work. We are praying this PICC is able to stay in and that it does not get infected like the last PICC.
Zach’s new chest tube from his surgery has only drained a small amount. We pray that it will continue to drain and get rid of the empyema around his lungs. Zach is initiating his own breaths on the ventilator again with a bit more support than he was receiving before the surgery. We pray that the chest tube will do its job and that Zach will tolerate decreased support from the ventilator in the future.
Overall, today was a pretty regular day for Zach. We feel blessed to sit beside him every day, talking, singing (and sometimes sleeping). Let us continue to pray to our Lord that he will heal Zach in his good time, and continue to provide Zach with the strength he needs for recovery.
“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!
O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?
How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah
But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him.
Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah
Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord.
There are many who say, “Who will show us some good?
Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!”
You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.
In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”
(Psalm 4)
