Meditate and Trust in the LORD
Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.
Listen to the "Verse by Verse" episode covering this scripture.
Meditating on God’s greatness gives us many reasons to trust in Him and to strive to be righteous as He is. He has designed us, the plants and animals in our environment, the earth, the solar system and everything in our universe. His creation all works perfectly in harmony and provides stunning beauty as a bonus!
Beyond the physical realm, we see God’s perfect spiritual laws, which produce peace and joy and every good thing.
Interestingly, the first part of Psalm 4:4 can be translated differently: “Tremble, and sin not” (Jewish Publication Society, from the Masoretic Text).
The apostle Paul apparently quotes the Greek version of the Old Testament (the Septuagint) in Ephesians 4:26 to make a point about controlling anger. According to the Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary, the Hebrew verb translated “angry” “can also be translated as ‘be disturbed’ or ‘tremble.’” It seems that, in inspiring this verse and Ephesians 4:26, God intended both meanings to be taken.
For more about meditation, see our article “What Is Meditation?”
