January 2
Our Sleepless Savior
Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. Psalms 121:4 (NKJV)
According to the Center for Sleep Health, the average person spends approximately one-third of his lifetime sleeping. That's a lot of time for us to be completely defenseless and vulnerable. Actually, it's amazing to ponder just how prone and susceptible we are as human beings! The very way that we've been designed—with our built-in need to sleep for approximately one-third of each 24-hour period—really wakes us up to how weak we are.
What if that's the whole point? What if God, when He fashioned and formed us, gave us this particular need to sleep and be vulnerable so that He could teach us to trust Him to watch over us when we can't watch over ourselves?
Think it through. Our need to sleep is also an invitation to trust in the promise given here in Psalm 121:4. The Psalmist reminds us that unlike us, God never slumbers or sleeps. He's awake and alert every minute of every day, including the one-third of our lifetime when we're incapable of protecting ourselves. We're constantly covered under His diligent and unceasing watch, and He invites us to trust Him in this.
So what effect should this have in our lives? What should the sleeplessness of our Savior produce in us? Rest! The National Sleep Foundation recently found that seventy-four percent of those polled reported having some sort of sleep disorder or abnormality, with anxiety being a major factor.
But when a person knows that God is keeping guard over him at all times, it limits anxiety and enables the deep rest that escapes so many. We have a sleepless Savior, and because we do, we can sleep easy.
Eternal and merciful Father, we rejoice in knowing that you never take a break from watching over us. Help us to truly rest in that reality.
Think About It…
What does this passage reveal to me about God?
What does this passage reveal to me about myself?
Based on this, what changes do I need to make?
What is my prayer for today?
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