"I rise before dawn and cry for help; I wait for Your words. My eyes anticipate the night watches, that I may meditate on Your word. Hear my voice according to Your loving kindness." Psalm 119:147-149
As I have stated before Psalm 119 is one of my favorite Psalms. It is like an old friend who is always there for me. It gives me a great desire for the Word of God when I get distanced from my Father. It isn’t He who has moved away; it is always me. These are a few of my favorite verses within this Psalm, because they usher me back into intimacy with the only One who can always meet my needs. He understands us as no one else can. He knows all our inward thoughts and ways. He formed us in our mother’s wombs. He knew us before the foundation of the world. Read Psalm 139.
If I rise before dawn and cry for help each morning, and wait for His Word I am good for the day. I know my dependence on Him to provide me with what I need for my family, friends, and my clients. I pray my way through life. He wants to speak to all His children, but so few make the time to listen. I need His love and wisdom for those I love, and so do you. That is how we can make a lasting impact in their lives for Him. We are His hands and feet. We become a conduit for Him allowing His Spirit and words to flow through us to others. We all have that calling on our lives if we know Him as Lord and Saviour. It is our eternal purpose.
I struggle with insomnia, which can be a great hindrance some days, but I do love the night watches. The night watches in the Bible are divided into three hour watches. In Mark 13:35 all four are mentioned; namely – evening, midnight, cockcrowing, and morning. According to our way of understanding time, evening watch is from 6 pm to 9 pm. Then 9 pm to midnight. Cock crowing Is from 12 M to 3:am, and morning watch from 3 am to 6 am. I have learned to value these four three hour watches if I spend that time meditating on the verses the Lord has made fresh to my spirit. It is a time when all the world is hushed and quiet, and I am not distracted. We can learn so much reading the Psalms and meditating on what it teaches concerning our middle of the night hours.
Other dearly loved verses are found in Psalm 63:6-8:
"When I remember You upon my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches; for You have been my help. And in the shadow of Your Wings I sing for joy! My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me."
This Psalm says a lot! Fill your thoughts with Him. Reflect upon the day that has ended, and acknowledge His faithfulness. Allow Him to reveal to you how He was there each step of the way. Acknowledge He has been your help. And as we nestle in the shadow of His wings, may we sing unto Him for joy in our Spirit out of gratitude. Yes, let our souls cling to Him alone, and know He will uphold us with His right hand of strength.
I would like to return to Psalm 119, and close with verse 165:
"Those who love Your law have great peace; and nothing causes them to stumble."
Don’t we all want to have great peace in our lives, and not allow anything to cause us to stumble. May we all come to a place in our lives where we love Him more than ourselves. Then we will love and obey His laws. His purposes will matter more than our own. Park yourself in Psalm 119 for a week. I promise you will not remain as you are. His Word has the power to deliver us from carnality, conforming us to spirit filled believers. For those of us who are plagued by insomnia, allow the Lord to use it for your good yielding your sleepless hours to Him. Allow Him to fill your thoughts with His love letters to you, His Bride. Take that time to fill your journal with love letters to Him! You will enter into a new depth of His love, and there is nothing that can compare with that presently and throughout eternity.
In His love.
Teresa Roberts
Masterpiece Fitness
276-237-6680
With the extreme heat this week, and a newly acquired tandem kayak, Braveheart and I retreated to the New River with friends. The water was low, but a beautiful day, and great way to cool off!
