David’s Perception Of God
Psalm 63:3-8 NKJV
3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips shall praise You.
4 Thus I will bless You while I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.
6 When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches.
7 Because You have been my help,
Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
8 My soul follows close behind You;
Your right hand upholds me.
David had such a great image of God. He perceived God in a way that was before his time and even better than many people today. For someone who was a servant of God, David believed that God’s character was stellar.
In our Psalm for today, my Bible writes that this was a psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah. This was not a psalm that David penned on a good day in the palace. This was written during the time David was forced to run for his life to escape King Saul. That would make this the psalm of David the fugitive, written when he lived in a not-so-nice neighborhood. What we express during times of challenge or hardship says more about us than our reflections when everything is going great. David was in a difficult period, but his confidence in God was high.
David believed God was full of lovingkindness. The CSB version says faithful love. And David is praising and blessing the Lord in what appears to be a regular part of his life. “I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.” Interesting to note that lifting of the hands to God is not a recent thing. Long before Charismatic and Pentecostal groups existed, David and other worshippers were lifting their hands to the Lord. A very godly minister from a bygone generation said that clapping and applause are honoring man, and lifting of the hands honors the Lord. Just a thought, but it’s a good one. David recognized there was a sense of satisfaction in the soul when praise and joy are expressed to God.
David also prescribes a sleep aid. Remembering and meditating on God during the night. I can remember times of lying down to sleep and remembering everything but God. My thoughts were giving me fits and making it hard to sleep. Now I make sure, before bed, I read scriptures, usually the Psalms. It helps me quiet my mind. David remembered God because he recognized God as his help and the place where he would be safe. Remember, this guy is on the run. The number one item on his daily to-do list was to stay alive. So David is trusting God for his very existence, and he believes that close to God is the best, safest place to be.
David is praising his God, whom he knows is truly good. He is remembering God and thinking intentionally and deeply about God. David is trusting God and following God close. David knows he is not alone. His good God is with him and for him and helping him. Even in the wilderness, David finds reasons to rejoice.
Prayer
Lord, I want to see You as David did. David was your servant; I am Your child. I will acknowledge that You are good and do good. You will help me and keep me safe. Thank You! Thank You!