Peaceful Meditations

Psalm 63:6-11

6I lie awake thinking of you,

meditating on you through the night.

7I think how much you have helped me;

I sing for joy in the shadow of your protecting wings.

8I follow close behind you;

your strong right hand holds me securely.

9But those plotting to destroy me will come to ruin.

They will go down into the depths of the earth.

10They will die by the sword

and become the food of jackals.

11But the king will rejoice in God.

All who trust in him will praise him,

while liars will be silenced.

In many respects Theodore Beza was John Calvin’s right-hand man. In the sixteenth century, while Martin Luther was reforming northern Europe, Calvin was changing the face of Switzerland and France. And Beza was right beside Calvin, defending his new teachings about faith, righteousness, and the sovereignty of God. Beza was a noted scholar in his own right, and he translated many psalms into French and Latin verse, allowing these new Reformed churches to “sing a new song” to the Lord.

But Theodore Beza had a problem. Often, after a hard day of teaching or translating, he just couldn’t get to sleep. His cure? Psalm 63:6. As he lay awake, he would meditate on the Lord, often reviewing the Psalms in his mind. Sometimes these thoughts carried him into a restful sleep. But even when they didn’t, at least he had used the time beneficially.

As you hit the pillow, don’t waste time fretting about your enemies or the various struggles in your life. Meditate on the Lord through the night, and let him give your soul the rest it needs.

Jesus, give the weary

Calm and sweet repose;

With Thy tend’rest blessing

May mine eyelids close.

GEORGE MATHESON

Fascinating Fact

As early as the third century, Christians were using Psalm 63 as a morning prayer.

Notable Quotable

“The meditation of anything hath more sweetness than bare remembrance. The memory is the chest in which to lay up a truth, but meditation is the palate to feed upon it.”

JOHN WELLS