That Christian Next Door

When I remember thee in my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.

Psalm 63 v 6 – 7 King James Version.

When your mind wanders, what are the things from your past that come to memory? What are your most pervasive thoughts?

For David in Psalm 63 vs 6 – 7, his fondest memories were God’s help for him. From the two verses, it is clear that these episodes of help were occurrences he would never forget: sources of initial and present joy.

This picture of David, on his bed, and during his solemn but also potentially scary night watches, is striking for a number of reasons. Firstly, he had space to think and could have thought on just about anything else, but he did not. Secondly, despite potentially being alone in these moments (although it is possible he was not always), he lived up to the glory of God. In these moments, when he could have done any other thing, he chose instead to acknowledge His God and Creator.

It is easy to be burdened or to burden ourselves with the realities of our world. Here instead, to quote our Lord Jesus Christ in Luke 10 vs 42 NLT, David chose the “only one thing worth being concerned about”. David, as human as anyone can be, was in the exact same physical world we inhabit today and in great physical jeopardy, yet he made a resolute choice about who and what to focus on: Jehovah His God and His goodness.

Choice is an important concept in our service to God. From the text, David’s voluntary actions are clear to see: the choice to remember and to not just sleep; to meditate and to not just merely think; to judge rightly that he needed help; to rejoice! An involuntary pattern of behavior is also evident. There was more than one night watch where this happened! So, repeated over and over, these memories and thoughts would surface and lead to joy and to a knowing. However, it did not stop there. Eventually, there was total assurance from David that he was indeed in the shadow of God’s wings! Far, far beyond the physical.

That understanding does not come cheap. It is one thing to know, it is another to meditate on what you know; it is a different thing to reach a life-defining conclusion and belief system. This last part takes time and, as in this case, undoubtedly involved the work of God’s Holy Spirit in David.

From these verses, it is apparent that David, a physical being, spent many of his waking hours in a nonphysical world. Through his memories and his meditations, He was having encounters with God. He was in the secret place of the Most High, under the shadow of the Almighty, with the God that sees in secret who encourages us to dwell in His house all the days of our lives (Psalm 27 vs 4)!

Very many years later, someone else would put these verses into practice in their life resulting in a devastatingly beautiful moment and a life-changing outcome: Bartimaeus in Luke 18!

As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind beggar was sitting beside the road. When he heard the noise of a crowd going past, he asked what was happening. They told him that Jesus the Nazarene was going by. So he began shouting, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” “Be quiet!” the people in front yelled at him. But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

When Jesus heard him, he stopped and ordered that the man be brought to him. As the man came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord,” he said, “I want to see!” And Jesus said, “All right, receive your sight! Your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus, praising God. And all who saw it praised God, too.

Luke 18 v 35 – 42 New Living Translation.

As evidenced in this story, Bartimaeus was a person who would not take ‘no’ for an answer. No one could dissuade him. His belief in Jesus Christ was foundational and such conviction does not come overnight, as we know. It is reasonable to conclude he had heard things about Jesus Christ: such as that he could heal and such as his lineage in King David. He probably learned more besides that.

Importantly, he meditated on them. He saw possibilities though he could not see and once he heard Jesus Christ was passing by, he was quick to act! The encounters first started in the secret place, and occurred again when he heard and finally, joyfully, in the open.

Be blessed.