Discover His heart: He fills us with songs in the night
According to experts, the prescription for a good night’s sleep is as follows: No coffee after 3:00 p.m., no eating after 6:00 p.m. and no exercise after 8:00 p.m. If these were truly the prerequisites to sleeping at night then Europeans, South Americans and sport figures would never get any rest. However, I must agree that when I am troubled about something or going through a challenging situation, these stimulants certainly aren’t helpful.
Some moments in life require more than a healthy dose of chamomile tea to bring rest to the body and peace to the soul. It was David who gave the prescription for a peaceful night, with or without sleep.
@ Psalm 63
Most believe David wrote this Psalm during a most challenging time in his life while hiding from those involved in Absalom’s rebellion who were seeking to kill him. Away from home, lonely and vulnerable, David could think of only one comfort, and that was his God. We just may find ourselves in this position at some point in life, when God is the only comfort and solution to our illness, abandonment, threat or pain, when there is no help, but God.
David did not have an immediate answer to his dilemma, so he focused on what he did have. He had his God, “I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory.” (2) He had his song, “I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands…with singing lips my mouth will praise you.” (4-5). And he had his joy, “Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings.” (7) Our situation may not be anything to sing a joyful song about, but we have our God, and He alone is something to sing about!
“I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on you through the night. Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely.”(6-8) Oh, those nights of tossing and turning can be endless and lonely. Our sleepless nights may be caused by too much coffee or a very poor mattress as those cute little sheep in the commercials suggest, but so often these restless nights are caused by difficult moments like David was experiencing.
Counting sheep may be helpful, but I’d rather count on the Shepherd. “I lie awake thinking of You, meditating on You through the night,” the One who has helped me in times past, the One who knows the future, the One who loves me, the One who fills me with songs in the night.
Moving Forward: Regardless of what I may face today, God is my helper, and nothing compares to Him! And because of Him, I have a song, and I have joy! “I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely.”
Tomorrow @ Proverbs 1
Phyllis Benigas 