You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me. – Psalm 63:1-8

I am learning that the more I rely on God and seek His face the more I desire to get “higher and deeper” into His presence.  It is almost as if in drinking the living water that God provides we acquire a taste for that water that no substitutes can replace.  The psalmist reminds us that “God’s love is better than life”.  The inner feeding of our souls is more important than the “richest of foods” that we can feed our bodies.

The last part of this psalm holds special meaning to me.  I struggle with a condition called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).  Apparently this condition afflicts almost 1/5 of the U.S. population.  GERD is kind of a pain and the specifics are complex, but it can be boiled down to a lazy esophagus and a stomach that gets a little too rambunctious about producing acid.  GERD is especially active when I eat foods that are spicy or acidic, or if I eat a late dinner.  If I sucumb to temptation and grab a burrito or eat too late my stomach wakes me up at around 2:30 or 3:00 in the morning.  My wife and I refer to this as a GERD o’clock.

This night waking used to really annoy me until I began my walk with water in the Bible, in fact that was one of the reasons why I started my journey.  Each night as I lay awake during the “watches of the night” I felt like God had something more important for me to do.  So I started praying for those I knew and praying about how God could turn this annoyance into a blessing.  Part of the answer has been the Walking on Water Blog.  There are certainly nights when I would prefer to be sleeping at 2:30 in the morning, but there are also those nights when I really appreciate the quiet time I have spend and the insights God provides.

I am learning to “cling to God” and rest beneath His wings as I float through the bible.  I remember Him on my bed through the watches of the night.

Prayer: God thank You for meeting me in the middle of the night and helping to turn a burden into a blessing.