LET US REMEMBER

Psalms 63 was written by David when he was in the wilderness of Judah, hiding from his enemies. The psalm, although short, discusses David’s full trust of God based on how He had provided and taken care of him in the past. While I studied this chapter, verse 6-7 in particular stuck out to me. It says, “On my bed I remember you; I think of you through watches in the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings."

I think we’ve all had the experience of staring up at the ceiling in bed and being overwhelmed by the things that have happened in our lives. In the stillness of the night, it can be easy to be overtaken by thoughts that usually wouldn’t impact us. Any lingering thoughts about our day or our lives can cause us to feel anxious, overwhelmed and discouraged. In the dark, whatever challenges we are facing can look ten times bigger.

It would be easy for David to fall into this rhythm, especially with all the hardships he had faced throughout his life. On the run, hunted down, adultery, betrayal, murder, death, fratricide in his own house, etc. But instead, David made the conscious choice to remember all the times God had saved him. He chose to remember God's mercy shown to him. He didn’t let the challenges of his situation overtake the reality of who God is. Even though it probably looked hopeless to him at times and he was often scared and isolated, he was still able to remember what kind of God he served. Because of this, David was able to face his enemies and situations with confidence, knowing that God would take (and continue to take) care of him and provide for him. 

Choosing to trust God in what feels like an impossible situation can be hard. But what can be even harder is being overcome by depressive thoughts because you don’t remember who you have on your side. Instead of choosing to struggle alone, we can choose to remember that God is our helper, our savior and our provider. He will come to our rescue time and time again, regardless of the situation. When we choose to remember who God is, we don’t have to worry about what we are going to do or how we’re going to get through it. Knowing who God is gives you the peace to rest and the strength to carry on for another day.  

~Nia Roberts