My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promise. Psalm 119:148

Picture it. It is the middle of the night, and sleep keeps slipping away because distress has taken over your head. You turn the problem over and over, study it, rehearse what’s been said, and then imagine what could happen next. Obsessing brings no more peace. In fact, rehearsing the dilemma only brings more distress. This is the outcome of a meditation that is not of the God-kind. 

David was up at night, too. The Jews set up night watches (in four-hour shifts starting at dusk) to keep the city safe. While others watched the city walls, David kept watch over his own soul.

This is where peace is won; not by denying what troubles me, but by refusing to let trouble have the last word. “On your wondrous works, I will meditate.” Psalm 145:5

What kinds of things did David review?  As he felt the weight of betrayal by family and close friends, he may have remembered God’s faithfulness. When he feared Saul would hunt him down, he probably recalled God’s power. When every way of escape seemed blocked, he remembered how many times God manufactured an exit out of nothingness.

Remembering and reviewing are always life-giving. God’s words never corner me. They open a door to what confines and chokes my breath. The circumstances may remain unchanged for a time, but the room inside me has changed. There is air again, and I can take a deep breath.

Your Words deliver me. You are an unending meal for my soul. Amen