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Gustave Doré’s engraving of David standing crowned and bowed as he mourns Absalom

Psalm 4

What St Athanasius said to pray when the Lord has heard you and you want to thank Him, in a letter from the 300s.

  • 8Verses
  • 1Situation

St Athanasius, Letter to Marcellinus

When to pray it

In the 300s, St Athanasius of Alexandria wrote a letter to his friend Marcellinus about praying the Psalms. In it he matched psalms to what people go through. This is what he gave this one for.

Your own people turned against you. You called on the Lord, He heard you, and now you want to thank Him.

If, hounded like that by your own people, you called on the Lord and He heard you, and now you want to give thanks, sing Psalms 4, 75 and 116.

Letter to Marcellinus

For the same situation he also named Psalm 75 and Psalm 116:1–9.

Psalm 4:3

Where it turns

Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for Himself; the LORD hears when I call to Him.

8 verses, Berean Standard Bible

The whole psalm

Psalm 4

Its own heading For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.

  1. 1Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved my distress; show me grace and hear my prayer.
  2. 2How long, O men, will my honor be maligned? How long will you love vanity and seek after lies ? Selah
  3. 3Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for Himself; the LORD hears when I call to Him.
  4. 4Be angry, yet do not sin; on your bed, search your heart and be still. Selah
  5. 5Offer the sacrifices of the righteous and trust in the LORD.
  6. 6Many ask, “Who can show us the good?” Shine the light of Your face upon us, O LORD.
  7. 7You have filled my heart with more joy than when grain and new wine abound.
  8. 8I will lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

After God has brought you through

Close to this

All 53 situations, in one guide.

Your turn

Which Psalm are you living right now?

A few honest taps about your life right now, and the psalm an early Church Father gave for exactly that.

  • 3 min
  • 7 questions
Start

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Bible text: Berean Standard Bible, public domain. Athanasius’s advice is paraphrased from his Greek.