Psalms 63:6

Have I not remembered Thee in my bed, and thought upon Thee when I was waking?

The saint devout by night

Night piety is--

1. Commanded (Deuteronomy 6:7; Joshua 1:8; Lamentations 2:19).

2. Exemplified (Psalms 119:55; Psalms 119:147; Luke 6:12).

3. Profitable (Psalms 16:7; Psalms 77:6; Psalms 1:2).

I. The object of night piety.

1. Jehovah.

2. Our God.

3. One who is awake at every hour of the night. At any of the watches, there is access by Christ into the secret of His presence.

4. One who makes the night a season of visiting some of His chosen with the kindness of His love (Psalms 17:3; Psalms 42:8).

II. The exercises of night piety mentioned in the text.

1. Remembering the Lord upon our bed is first mentioned; remembering what He is, what He hath done, what He hath promised, what He hath commanded, what He hath given, and what way He hath led us through life by His providence.

2. The other exercise mentioned in our text is, meditating on the Lord in the night watches. This also includes several particulars; as thinking on Him, believing in Him, hoping in Him, praying to Him, and glorifying Him with praise.

III. The profit of night piety. They minister--

1. To the satisfying of the soul.

2. To the filling of the mouth with praise.

3. To the sanctifying of the lips to express the praises of the Lord with joy and gladness.

4. To the preventing of the intrusions of evil thoughts upon us, which often disturb and spoil the exercises of our night piety. (A. Shanks.)

Remembrance of and meditation on God

I. Remembrance of God.

1. The thing itself. There are three sorts and several kinds of God’s dispensations to us, in reference whereunto especially we are to remember Him.

(1) As to His work of creation, His making and framing of us. Not to remember the Lord which is our Maker and Creator, is very gross and incongruous. This deserves our remembrance especially, it is very useful to us for several purposes. As first, to strengthen our faith; He that made us He will also preserve us. To commit our souls to Him as to a faithful Creator. He that created us will raise us again. And as to strengthen our faith, so likewise to quicken our obedience, and to teach us to give up our souls and bodies, as a living sacrifice to Him, it is very pertinent to remember God thus, namely, in reference to this His first work of creation.

(2) In reference to His work of sanctification, as our Redeemer; His now making us, and framing us again, remember Him so; and that both as to the work of grace itself in us, as also in reference to all good means, for the strengthening of it.

(3) In reference to His work of providence. God has many thoughts of us (Jeremiah 29:11; Psalms 136:23; Genesis 8:1; Genesis 19:20; Genesis 30:22; Malachi 3:16). Now, forasmuch as God does thus carefully remember us, there is all the reason that may be why we should also remember Him. To help and strengthen our memories in this particular, let us be careful of these directions. First, get into ourselves strong apprehensions of God, and of that goodness and excellency which is in Him. Apprehension is a great help to memory; that which is deeply fastened and settled, and rooted in us, it will not so easily be forgotten of us; it is so with things, and it is so with persons, they are all there easily remembered where they are well apprehended. Secondly, let us labour to have good affections toward Him. If we love God we shall not forget Him, but we shall often have thoughts of Him; He will come into our minds, even in some absence and remoteness from Him, wherein we do not, perhaps, enjoy Him in His ordinances as formerly we have done. Thirdly, let us view His tokens and pledges, and remembrances of Himself, which He has left with us, as the Word and Sacraments, and the like. These are remembrances of Him, and accordingly we should apply ourselves to them under this notion; we should make use of them to such a purpose as this is.

2. The circumstance of place, for the performing of it. “On my bed.” The bed may be looked upon as a place for the remembrance of God in it according to a threefold notion. Either first of all, as a place of choice; in the bed to choose rather than anywhere else, where I am left to my liberty. Or, secondly, as a place of necessity; in the bed at least, where I cannot anywhere else, as having restraints upon me. Or thirdly, as a place of indifferency; in the bed as well as anywhere else besides, as it happens, and falls out unto me. And here again there are two things further considerable. First, a Christian’s privilege. And secondly, a Christian’s duty upon this privilege. The privilege of a Christian is this, that he may remember God in his bed where he can nowhere else. A Christian’s duty is this, that he ought to remember God on his bed, where he hath nowhere else to remember Him; he is not to neglect such an opportunity as this is. Here is a third now which we may add to the rest, not only a Christian’s privilege, and a Christian’s duty, but likewise his practice in the example of the prophet David; he did it for his particular, and hereby shows us what is likewise the nature and disposition of many others besides in this respect, even to remember God in their beds; where they are restrained from the more public enjoyment, yet to think of Him even in those restraints (Psalms 42:4).

II. Meditation on God.

1. The thing itself. Meditation is beyond remembrance, for that may be only transitory and flitting, this is fixed and settled, and does signify a further fastening and continuing of our thoughts upon that which they are pitched upon.

(1) The attributes of God; His goodness, and wisdom, and power, meditate on them; they are such as are very worthy of our choicest thoughts, and we cannot think too much of them, so far forth as they are revealed unto us.

(2) His works which flow from His attributes, do much call for our meditation.

(3) Also the Word of God (1 Timothy 4:15). It is meditation which makes us to profit and thrive by that which we hear, which without this is very much lost. As it is not the meat while in the stomach, but digested and thoroughly concocted, and altered and changed, and so dispersed into the several parts of the body, which causes nourishment and increase; even so is it also here in spirituals.

2. The amplification of it from the circumstance of time, “in the night watches.” This was the time which David took for this performance. As for the place, on his bed; so for the time and season, in the night. He brake his sleep to think upon God (Psalms 77:4). But why then, of all other times? Why does David choose to meditate on God in the night? Or why should any other do so in imitation of him? Surely there is very good ground and reason for it, as will appear to us in sundry regards, which we may take notice of.

(1) As freest from distraction, and the cumbrances and troubles of the world.

(2) As it is most subject to temptation and assault from Satan. We have never more need to betake and apply ourselves to God, than then, when we are in greatest danger of the devil, who is our spiritual enemy. Now, this we are at such a time as this is. He is a spirit of darkness, and so watches for a time of darkness, especially for the laying of his snares, and making his onsets upon us, as robbers they wait for the night; so then does this spiritual robber of souls. Then he may here work upon the fancy as he hath opportunity for it.

(3) As the time when conscience most works, and God Himself does usually draw near and apply Himself to us (Psalms 16:7; Psalms 17:3; Job 35:10). These things laid together, do make very much for such a performance as this is; and not only for meditation, but prayer, as the Hebrew word Hagah will bear it. We have herein the example not only here of David in the text, but also of some others in Scripture. Thus our Lord spent whole nights in prayer (Luke 6:12). Anna served God with fastings and prayer night and day. Paul had his labours, and lastings, and watchings (2 Corinthians 6:5; 2 Corinthians 11:27). And so for others. We know how in the primitive times they had their vigils and meetings in the night, which though at first had a good ground for them, in regard of the persecution by heathens; yet afterwards upon as good ground for their abuse were taken away. But, however, the moral and analogy holds good, and is in force still, which is this, To watch unto prayer, and not to omit such seasons as the night for ejaculation and lifting up our hearts to God in it, as David professes here of himself. (T. Horton, D. D.)

Influential meditation

I. It is directed to the most influential subject--Meditation on God--

1. Serves to rouse the intellectual faculties to their highest effort.

2. Serves to prostrate the soul in humility.

3. Serves to spiritualize all the sympathies of our nature.

4. Serves to assimilate the character to the Perfect One.

II. It is employed in a most influential season. “In the night watches.” Night is pre-eminently the season for solemn thought.

1. It gives the mind an inward direction. As all outside of him is thus entombed in silence and sable, his soul becomes solemnly conscious of itself and its responsibility.

2. It gives the mind a solemnity of mood. Night is the emblem and minister of seriousness. A thought which heaves the whole nature with solemn emotions in the night, has often but little influence over us in the day. (Homilist.)

Meditating upon religion

The life of God in the soul of man, the Christian life, is marked, amongst other things, by religion gradually gaining possession of the thoughts. It has been said that if we thought about religion as it deserves, we should never think about anything else. Nor can we, with strictness, deny this. For religious concerns do so outweigh all others in their importance and value. The wonder is not that men think so much but so little of it. The cast and turn of our infirm and fleshly nature lean all on the side of our thinking not enough of spiritual things.

I. Our nature is affected chiefly by what we see; the unseen has, therefore, but little power.

II. And we regard the things of religion not as near to us, but as distant. Like children we are affected only by what is present and near. But though this delusion be so general it has no foundation in reason. We do not so act in regard to our worldly affairs.

III. The spirituality of religion also hinders our thinking of it. All religion which is effectual must be spiritual. But our nature cares not for that which is purely spiritual. Therefore we need to pray for the help of the Spirit of God. (Archdeacon Paley.)