Psalm 63

Published: June 5, 2020, 7 a.m.

We are continuing our series of reflections on the Psalms. Each day we will upload a new reflection to the website. We hope and pray that you will find them helpful and that they bring hope during this season. Click on these buttons to read the text of the psalm or listen to a recording of it. You can also listen to the reflection using the audio player below. Read Psalm 63  Listen to Psalm 63 Have you found that you are struggling with sleep during lockdown? David had a similar experience. This psalm was known as the morning hymn by the early church in Greece. John Chrysostom (347-407), Archbishop of Constantinople, wrote “that it was decreed and ordained by the primitive [church] fathers, that no day should pass without the public singing of this Psalm.” Charles H. Spurgeon said that, "This Psalm is peculiarly suitable for the bed of sickness, or in any constrained absence from public worship." Does that sound familiar in these times? David was in the desert, either fleeing from King Saul or possibly a later time when his son Absalom staged a coup. He was no longer able to worship the Lord in the sanctuary of the temple. Yet he longs to do so. He remembers when he was able to worship publicly (verses 1-2) and looks forward to the time he will again (verses 3-4). It also seems that sleep eludes him as he is meditating on the Lord during the watches of the night (verse 6). A recent study by King’s College London and Ipsos MORI found that half of British adults say their sleep has been more disturbed than usual during lockdown. When we find ourselves awake during the night and can't get back to sleep, or if we are on our sickbeds, or when we just long for gathered public worship, or we find ourselves in the wilderness, then use these times to worship God. Lift your hands in praise (verse 4), one of the oldest gestures of prayer, and may we find shelter in the shadow of God's wings as our souls cling to Him (verse 7-8). David found strength when he did this, and we will too is we choose to do the same. Oh God, You are my God, and I will ever praise You.