Psalm 119:62 | “At midnight I rise to praise you, because of your righteous rules.”

The psalmist practices the spiritual discipline of intentional praise, rising at midnight to honor the Lord for his righteous rules. This is not the habit of a casual believer. It is the devotion of one who delights in God even with no one watching. Calvin notes, “He was far from being influenced by ostentation, since in his secret retirement, when no human eye was upon him, he pronounced the highest encomiums on God’s righteous judgments.” To spare you from needing a dictionary, an “encomium” is a glowing and warmly enthusiastic expression of praise. Jesus warned his followers in Matthew 6:1, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them.” Many praise the Lord when others are watching, but when no one is there to see, they behave as if they were atheists. The psalmist, however, shows that true devotion is private as well as public. His heart is so full of gratitude that even in the solitude of night, he chooses to rise from his sleep to praise the Lord.