In our lives, there are times when events have happened that remain indelibly impressed on our minds. Some of us remember when President Kennedy was shot and even remember where we were and our first impressions. The same is true of the 9/11 event, when so many died in New York City. There are high points for those who experience life with God, such as when we first pointed a soul to the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, and God saved that person. Our time of salvation, when we turned from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, stands out as the “red letter day” of our life.
When we have learned to live in fellowship with the Lord daily and then, for some reason, that fellowship is broken, we can hardly live. David’s longing for God in the sanctuary where He had placed His name was the longing of a thirsty soul in a desert place and was so intense that even his flesh and the feelings associated with being parched were affected. An exile away from home can be only partially satisfied with personal fellowship with God. To be where the Lord’s people gather and fellowship with other believers and our Lord in public worship is a basic need of a child of God. We are not made to be a cold lump of coal but a warm, glowing soul that is in the place where that warmth can be shared, and we are, in turn, warmed by others whose love for the Lord is strengthened in united fellowship and worship.
True worship involves communion with God and others as we consider God’s “power and glory.” That is evident in words of praise when saints lift their voices together to honor our Lord. His “lovingkindness” is often expressed in various ways by different people, and when it is all put together, there is a great volume of worship. The “marrow and fatness” of the blessings that we experience are multiplied when the saints of God are together at the place of His choosing. David’s view of God was that he was in the sanctuary, even though he was in a desert without water. To him, experiencing God’s lovingkindness was more important than living. Communion with God is a deep longing in the soul of those who love the Lord. Life is dry without God.
The testimony of his intent was that he would “remember [God]” upon his bed. Meditating upon God during sleepless nights is the best sacrifice we can give. The satisfaction of meditation is deep and enduring when it is on God and produces worship of God. God is very personal in such times, and the words “My God” are very real and personal in an intimate way. That time becomes a personal treasure we share with God alone and is often a personal resource for needed strength when we need to look back and remember the ways of God with us. “My watches” concern the various times of night when we reflect, review, and worship. Then comes calmness to our soul.
I remember in “my bed.” When it is “my watches,” I meditate. When we are conscious of God as “my help,” His wings of shelter and security give us joy. When the longing of “my soul” is hard after God, we are conscious of His “right hand” of strength that holds us up.
The psalm closes with a statement of faith by the psalmist, who knows that enemies will ultimately fall and those who trust the Lord will definitely rejoice. “They shall fall” is not a vindictive statement but a statement of fact. The same is true of those who trust in the Lord. We will move from hearing to seeing. Faith will give way to sight. Danger will yield to salvation. We will go from prayer to praise. We will be conscious of what we have, not so much of what we want. And we are, and will be, aware of what the lost do not have but will have.