Agitated
For two years while in seminary, I worked for an appliance store. I basically was a delivery boy, taking appliances to homes, installing the new and hauling back the old. The old commercial about the lonely Maytag repairman was accurate. We sold a variety of washers and dryers but never once in my two years did we bring a Maytag in for repair. Not so with the other brands. During my time at the store, I dabbled in minor repair work. One thing I learned was what an agitator is.
Agitation describes what is transpiring in Psalm 4 though David chooses the word distress. Up in the wee hours of the morning, I was troubled. I wrote two pages in my journal then prayed that God’s Spirit would lead me to a helpful passage. Because it was the 4th day of the month, I opened my Bible to Psalm 4. Some have labeled such a practice as “lucky-dipping.” Certainly, I was “lucky” that morning as the Spirit directed me to words that spoke to my soul. When I got to verse 4, I read these words: Tremble and do not sin. Some translations put it this way: be angry and do not sin. In one version’s footnote, it translates the Hebrew word as "being agitated.” Life certainly agitates us. The Psalmist, is agitated, asking God for relief from that which is distressing him. Life agitates us. David is not reprimanding anyone for this condition. God doesn’t seem to frown on this agitation within the psalmist. In writing tremble and do not sin, David is simply acknowledging a reality of living in this fallen world. I am reminded of a quote, author unknown: I understand now that I am not a mess but a deeply feeling person in a messy world. I now explain that when someone asks me why I cry so often I say, “For the same reason I laugh so often - because I’m paying attention.
If we are paying attention, and if we are honest, life agitates us. Relationships are not as we would want. Finances are sometimes difficult. Things break. Our bodies ache or worse, break down. Jobs disappoint, not to mention bosses and fellow employees. We feel missed by a friend, disrespected, or overlooked. Traffic makes us lose our patience, and the holidays, a time we think should be filled with relaxation and enjoyment, often leave us tired, irritated or stressed over what isn’t that we expect should be, perhaps especially in our families. Life agitates.
David turns to his righteous God. I l paused at those words. It would be easy to read past what he is saying. The word “righteous'“ is not simply an adjective. It is more than a title. It means the God who knows what is right or wrong, good or bad, appropriate at any given moment or for any particular circumstance. We don’t. He does. We get agitated and then we get confused as to what to do or say. God knows, and so David turns and asks.
The danger in our agitation is that we end up doing the wrong things, which is what God speaks to in verse 2: How long will you turn my glory into shame? I wonder if we could understand glory here as who we were meant to be, the purpose for which we were chosen? If true, it means that often how we relate during difficulty often brings ill repute to the God who made us and set us apart. How long will you love delusions and seek false Gods? When I am stressed, I draw irrational conclusions. Foolish thinking about life, myself and God rises to the surface, motivating my choices. How can I minimize the agitation? What can I do or turn to for relief? My first instinct is seldom, "how can I best represent God in this stressful time?" The stress of life makes all of us turn to the wrong things for relief, to behave in ways not consistent with the calling on our lives as one of God’s ambassadors.
I just got off the phone with an agitated friend. As we were unpacking his angst, talking about these ideas in Psalm 4, a bald eagle flew right in front of his vehicle. He loves nature. Before it entered his direct sightline, he had watched it soar and fly away from his car before it suddenly turned and headed right toward him. He was exhilirated! At that moment, he wonder in silence and we now wondered aloud: Is God that personal? Does he care about our angst? Does he long to have our attention when we are stressed so that we learn to trust Him and find His peace? David seems to think so and invites the reader to do what he did: turn to the righteous God who longs to shine his face upon his people (v6) and give us peace (v8).
Life agitates. We know why. We were created for the garden of Eden. We live outside of it, in a land of chaos. We are headed toward the Garden City but we are yet to arrive. We live in between, in a fallen world as fallen beings and because we do, we tremble over what we cannot control. We tremble because things are not as we would want, are not as they were intended to be. But hang on! The day is coming!
Larry Crabb summarized what he heard the prophet Habakkuk saying with similar words. Habakkuk’s message was stress-inducing. There was so much that was wrong in his day. Agitation might describe the result of his/their circumstances, though that might be putting it mildly. But despite the distress, despite the lack of grapes on the vine, sheep in the pen, olives and figs, Habakkuk was, we are invited to do what David is likewise inviting us to do, namely, tremble and trust while we wait for a better day. As Coorie ten Boom’s father used to say to his daughters, "The best is yet to come!” Amen.
Kent