From verses 2-7 David ends every cola with a new variant of how he will praise the Lord.
These are such great reminders of ways we can praise God. Often we think of praise as an act of singing a song or lifting our hands. David does make it clear that that is an important part of praise, but there are other ways to praise.
In verse 2 he says “So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.” No mention of singing praise, rather simply taking a moment to soak in, in awe and wonder of the power and glory of God.
In verse 6 he states, “when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night.” Once again, he’s clear about no singing, just reflecting and perhaps even the act of being still and listening to God.
As someone who loves the act of singing praise, this Psalm was a harder pill to swallow — realizing that praise is so much more than a sound, but also an act of obedience and reverence. I’ve used these verses to guide my mindset and especially my intentions when it comes to praise: being mindful of the many ways we all can praise Him in any given moment, not just the corporate settings on Sunday mornings.
There’s a flip side to this Psalm. Let’s not lose sight of the fact that David is actively struggling and running for his life. This particular Psalm was written by David while wandering in the wilderness of Judah fleeing from King Saul’s attempts at taking his life. This is a rather literal Psalm in the sense that David is hungry and thirsty, so he is speaking directly to his current state of being.
Now to my story. Have I ever been lost in the wilderness? No. Have I ever been starving from lack of food? No. However, I have been starving and lost when I didn’t even realize it. Recently I made a shift in my career that involved a leap of faith. Those of you who have done this before know that can be accompanied by anxiety, stress, even fear, mixed in with the anticipated excitement and joy. I loved my old job and was not seeking something else, but God had other ideas. When the door opened I did not realize just how much my soul did indeed thirst for the Lord.
At the time of this career change, I was not fully clued in to this Psalm and many of the other 149. I knew the common ones, like Psalm 119, Psalm 23 and Psalm 121, but the rest of them unfortunately remained (sorry to use a pun here) an unopened book. Psalm 63 fell into my lap and hit me like a ton of bricks after I had time to reflect and meditate on the words of David. His prayer to God was one that I secretly had been praying all along. Before, during and even after my transition was complete. Was the job what I was praying or hoping for specifically? Ehh, not really. My wife and I hadn’t sat down praying for this opportunity and chatted about how this was my life’s dream and I just wished God would deliver me. No, not at all actually.
What I have learned, though, is found in the last three verses and verse 3. David takes a hard 90 degree turn in verses 9-11. Simply put, it’s a reminder of how faithful God is to His people. No matter the struggle or uncertainty of life, God remains in control, therefore He alone is worthy of our praise. We praise in the valley. We praise on the mountain.
Verse 3 really should be seen as the pinnacle of the Psalm. There is one key word in there that wraps the entire Psalm up into a nice bow. Steadfast. In Hebrew, the word translates back to “hesed.” Hesed has been known to have many English translations and a few of them are devoted, merciful, kind, loyal, etc. So insert your favorite word from those and place it in the blank,
“Because your love is better than life, my lips will praise you.”
Does that not just pull everything together in one wholly complete sentence?!?
No matter the circumstances, whether it be wandering in a wilderness or anxious about a big life pivot, the goal or focus should be to TRUST in God. As the hymn goes “praising my Savior, all the day long.” No matter the situation, I’ve learned to praise and trust in His steadfast love.