Answer me when I call to you,
    my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress;
    have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

2 How long will you people turn my glory into shame?
    How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?
3 Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant for himself;
    the Lord hears when I call to him.

4 Tremble and do not sin;
    when you are on your beds,
    search your hearts and be silent.
5 Offer the sacrifices of the righteous
    and trust in the Lord.

6 Many, Lord, are asking, ‘Who will bring us prosperity?’
    Let the light of your face shine on us.
7 Fill my heart with joy
    when their grain and new wine abound.

8 In peace I will lie down and sleep,
    for you alone, Lord,
    make me dwell in safety.

It is generally thought that Psalm 3 belongs to the morning, and Psalm 4 to the evening, but both belong to that period when David was on the run from Absalom. Here, David is facing a second night on the run, and under threat, and again he meets his circumstances with prayer. The idea of prayer, and the prayer-answering God, is threaded throughout the psalm.

‘…we note that to come into the place of prayer (1) is to find oneself in the place of peace (8).’ Alec Motyer

We may feel we want to ask the question in verse 2 of the people of our own day. Many, it seems, are happy to follow delusions and lies, rather than embracing uncomfortable truth. In the context, David’s words are ‘An imaginative appeal to those gathered to Absalom to stop denigrating his glory as king, to abandon their delusions of power and their ‘falsehood’…’ (In the original this is more about ‘lies’ than false gods ).

But let us not miss the heart of this psalm which is one of confident trust in the Lord. David knew what it was to have a table prepared for him in the presence of his enemies (Psalm 23:5).