Waist Deep 2018 - May 18


Psalm 119: 55 In the night I remember your name, O Lord, and I will keep your law. (NIV) 


God speaks to us through the Bible in new ways when we reflect on it deeply and repeatedly.*


At first glance, the psalmist appears to be awake for bad reasons. Anxiety. Guilt. A very long “to-do” list. The things that typically bring on a bad case of insomnia. Read the subtext: “In the night (I am scared) I remember your name (I call on God) but I do not turn from your law (if I keep his laws, he will show me the way and knowing the way will calm my fears).”

I have always been a night-time devotions person. Many – if not most – people have their quiet time with God at the beginning of their day, and I agree it’s a great way to start the day. But I have been programmed to sleep until there is only enough time do what has to be done before heading out the door. Even if I did allow time for my devotions in my morning routine, it would still have to end on schedule; whereas, at night, even if I stay up past my bedtime, the time-slot is more open-ended. 

It is possible that our psalmist is a night owl who might just be awake by choice. Perhaps this night he has given up sleep to meditate on God’s Word.* What are the results of his nighttime rendezvous with God? It is a beautiful chain of events in which we could participate: to give up sleep in order to meditate and pray; to finally fall asleep with God’s Word on our minds; to wake up to live for him.


Reading the Word of God is not the only practice we need to engage in, but it is foundational to cultivating our relationship with the Lord. We need to read our Bibles; we should read our Bibles; and hopefully we want to read our Bibles.*


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