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    Saturday, July 5, 2025

    Psalm 4: 4

    4When you are disturbed, do not sin; ponder it on your beds, and be silent.

     

    In my old age, after decades of reading and reflecting on the Psalms daily, I began to see the need to pause on almost every verse.

    A wise proverb: When disturbed, avoid sin. Sleep on the matter which was so disturbing and reflect on your emotions during your time of rest. Be silent. How often in my life, I wonder, did I reject silence in favor of noise? How many times did I refuse to wait before responding? And what did my loud advocacy gain me? How many times did I allow my own loud voice to disturb my marriage or my relationship with my children or to hurt others? What did I gain when arguing with neighbors, friends, and co-workers?

    Oh, but what will people think if I delay speech?

    Unmanly! A wimp! Someone unwilling to fight for what he believes!

    Some of the wisest warriors in all of history recognized the value of refusing to allow emotion to cloud one’s judgment. Miyamoto Musashi, the greatest samurai in all of Japanese history, a swordsman so skilled he spent the final years of his life fighting other swordsmen using only a stick, insisted on remaining in control of emotion. The Shaolin monks who created kung fu did the same. Great religious and spiritual leaders in many different lands reached the same conclusion. Gandhi, Bonhoeffer, and Martin Luther King recognized the strength and selfless courage it demanded to accept a blow while refusing to strike one. They spoke truth calmly, quietly, with real conviction, and then only after long reflection.

    Can I as an individual do this? Can my nation?

    I have failed so often, Lord, and so has my nation. Quick reactions, fed by overwhelming emotion. With what result? We harvested tears.

    Only a fool would deny some matters demand immediate action, but calm response which sets aside emotion may be far more effective than rushed, angry judgment. One recognizes, of course, that our emotions are a gift. They alert us to problems, affect our physical ability to respond, and protect us. But they are useless in the heat of conflict.

    Good advice! Be a man! When disturbed, be silent. Sleep on it when possible. Avoid sin.

     

    Hymn of the day: Change My Heart, O God. Online at Rossford UMC - Media.

     

     

    Rev. Lawrence Keeler