What the psalmist is doing here should be what we do in our own way, but with the same diligence, and for the same reason. Comfort needed through difficulties and troubles in this life, is such a part of what we experience in this life, in following God in Christ. Just like the rest of Scripture, it gets down to where we really live.
Thanks, Scot, for continuing to open this up for us.

I find myself waking in the night many times and my first thoughts go to the Lord. Sometimes questioning my wakefulness. Other times a name comes to my mind for whom I make intercession. But most times, I find myself counting my blessings and praising God for Who He is. I think when I wake early around 4:30 a.m. and 5:00, the Lord is calling me to spend time with Him to prepare me for the day ahead. Often the Word that comes to mind are those I’ve memorized. I think it is all part of God taking care of me. He is my refuge, my strength and my shield. He is ever wanting to remind me of that. At least that’s how I see my wakefulness now that I’ve gotten past the years of battling what I thought was intrusions on my rest. My rest is in the Lord, not in my sleep. SelahV

Scot, I think you are right on, that the psalmist is focusing on hope, and this leads him to meditate on God’s promises. In those dark nights of the soul, those nights of restlessness, when God seems so far away, we cling to hope, but not in any generic “things will work out” sense, but in a “God is a faithful God” sense. I can’t help but think of Philippians 4, where Paul seems to have just this sort of thing in mind. Paul says we are to be rejoicing in all things, giving our anxiousness to God and resting in God’s peace. He says we do this by prayer, and also by meditating on whatever is true, right, pure, and lovely (which would obviously include God’s Word), for the God of peace will be with us. And what better way to have peace than to know and have constantly before us what this God of peace is like. There is no balm like the truth!