“Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.” (Psalm 4:2)

Psalm 4 was written by King David. We do not know the exact circumstances that led to this psalm. There were many times in David’s life when he was under pressure. Although he had been anointed king by Samuel, he lived like a fugitive, narrowly escaping death. At times it seemed as if he was surrounded by his enemies and that the walls around him were getting stronger and stronger – a real pressure.

In the natural order of things in the physical world, when objects are put under pressure, there is a tendency for the object to contract or shrink. This is not difficult to understand; it is simply physics. With spiritual things, however, it’s different. Humanly speaking, David could have complained that his situation was unfair: although he was the true king, he had to flee from cave to cave. There were times when his own followers questioned him and his enemies made false accusations against him, but he had no way of dealing with this situation. David says that the pressure did not constrict and contract him, but “relieved” him! Challenges – even if they are unpleasant – will make us grow spiritually in the long run (Rom 5:3-5). There is a “gospel” in our countries that is really a “different gospel” (Gal 1:6), but it is surprisingly widespread – the so-called prosperity gospel. It goes something like this: “If you believe in Jesus Christ, you will get rich, you will have a big house, you will never get sick, and you will never experience tragedy or trouble.” However, the Lord Jesus said that you will have tribulation in the world (John 16:33). Fear not, dear saint, for these things can only “increase” you!