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When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches (Psalm 63:6).
I enjoy writing my “Psalms On Saturday” series. Today, it’s Psalm 63, which I have entitled, The Sleep Psalm.
Why?
The lessons learned from this Psalm have helped me to sleep at night. I get up early to write, and if I don’t get a good night’s sleep, Interruptions will get cranky, and then you will unsubscribe!
All the lessons learned below help me to sleep.
Sleep should get better with age. I reached my peak spiritual fitness at age 69 (my age now). I should be sleeping better than ever. What is the age of your peak spiritual fitness? At this peak, you should be able to sleep.
To find the year of your best spiritual fitness, fill in the blank below:
Your age now: . By growing in Jesus, you will have a great year of sleep!
Psalm 63 teaches us how to grow in Christ with the side effect of a great night’s sleep. Spiritual fitness is determined by 1. living in peace; 2. answered prayer, and 3. knowing God’s calling.
All three are needed for a good night’s rest.
- Peace (You will never sleep well without peace). The key to peace:
God, You are my God; I shall be watching for You; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and exhausted land where there is no water. So I have seen you in the sanctuary (vv. 1-2).
When we see God in His sanctuary, nothing else matters. The brilliance of God eliminates the shadows of fear and anxiety. Darkness can’t exist in God’s glory.
Throughout life, God reveals new disciplines or a point of obedience through which we renew our vision of God in the sanctuary.
Ask God right now: God, show me what I need to do to see your glory in the sanctuary.
- Answered prayer (Answered prayer allows confidence for a great night’s sleep). The key to answered prayer:
To see Your power and glory. Because Your favor is better than life, My lips will praise You. So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name (vv. 2-4).
There is a correlation between praise and answered prayer. Confidence in God’s power is gained through praise.
Lifting our hands in His presence reveals our true heart. Proclaiming the good and confessing evil brings confidence. There is no greater joy than experiencing God’s grace and mercy.
If we learn to praise instead of worrying during trials, God’s presence will abide with us through the night.
- Knowing God’s Calling.
For You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy. My soul clings to You; your right hand takes hold of me (vv. 7-8).
Psalm 63 was written by David when he was in the wilderness hiding from his enemies.
A wilderness can cause us to doubt our purpose. I imagine David, who had been anointed to be King of Israel, had second thoughts about his calling while in the wilderness.
David’s second thoughts, “God, I thought you wanted me to be King. Why am I sleeping in a cave instead of a palace?”
David learned to sleep in the wilderness. When he became King, he had learned God’s power, that God answers prayer, and that despite difficult circumstance, God always works for the good of those He calls.
Again, David learned to sleep in the wilderness.
Most of us lose sleep during difficulty. God wants to use our current wilderness to reveal His glory. And once seen…
We will sleep through anything… ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ… even while reading Interruptions!