Sleepless Nights
That's something to hold onto to encourage our hearts on a day to day basis, for sure! But today, my thoughts settled on verse 4. He who keeps you will not slumber, behold He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. Now, as a caregiver, you can understand how important the commodity of sleep is. Personally, sometimes I get a decent 6 hours of sleep, but there are many sleepless nights. I get grumpy if I don't get enough sleep even though I don't need as much as others. :-)
God, the ultimate caregiver, doesn't even need to sleep. That means He can keep a constant watch over us day and night. He doesn't take breaks. He doesn't take vacations, and He simply doesn't sleep. His watchful eye is always on us. The KJV says in Psalm 127:2 that the Lord gives to His beloved even in their sleep. I like that.
I love that God doesn't have to rest from being with me. Like a watchful father, He seizes those precious moments like a parent watching a child sleep. Did you ever watch your kid sleep? They seem so precious and innocent. You want to just scoop them up - but don't dare risk waking them, of course! So, you just stand there and watch them breathe.
God watches over us whether we are sleeping or waking and He never takes a break. Sometimes I have fallen into a dead sleep out of sheer exhaustion. Caregivers do that a lot I found out. But God doesn't do that. He sees us in those most exhausted states and extends His grace to us over and over again.
Today, I will be thankful that God continues to watch over us and He never takes a break. My thoughts will be on how He enjoys just watching us breathe. I'll meditate on His nearness and declare with the psalmist that the nearness of God is my good. And I will trust Him for just one more day. Will you join me?
Psalm 121 has been and currently IS a very living, intimate Word from God to me. As a NEW BELIEVER, the Holy Spirit whispered this scripture, both Book and Number, to me on the very night I accepted the LORD as my Savior when the enemy attempted to frighten me! God let me know that He NEVER slept, therefore, I was NEVER alone or without His Protection! Then, as A CAREGIVER, specifically to my Mother, He reminded me, as I laid awake watching each breath she took, that He was right there with me, NEVER slumbering! And now, as THE PATIENT, He assures me, moment-by-moment, that He is my Bridegroom and my Help, Who FAITHFULLY keeps me, PEACEFULLY surrounds me, and UNCONDITIONALLY loves me! And, ALL these things He does...without a blink of a tiresome eye! What an awesome, NEVER sleeping NOR slumbering God that I serve! LORD, I love You.
ReplyDeleteHey April! Thank you so much for sharing. It amazes me how timeless and effective the word is no matter when we need it! Prayers for you!! Love you!
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