Neither Slumber Nor Sleep

Psalm 121:3-4 (NIV) —

 ‘He will not let your foot slip—

    he who watches over you will not slumber;

indeed, he who watches over Israel

    will neither slumber nor sleep.’

I have a gift for napping. I count falling asleep and staying asleep beyond my alarm clock as two of my most special talents. My Mum tells me it all started when I was a baby and I would sleep in the car, when the hoover was on or just in the arms of other people at church – I was just born to be a napper. But this got me thinking - I work with a lot of parents and carers with small children and we’re always chatting about how important sleep is. We talk about sleep routines, sleep cycles, the timing of the morning/afternoon nap, how many times children wake them up in the night, the night-time feeding routine and so on. As a parent or carer, a lot of your time is spent carefully watching over children as they sleep and making sure they are comfortable, safe and looked after. I am always in awe of parents and carers and the constant and faithful attention they give to children both day and night even at the detriment of their own sleeping patterns.

I think this picture of a parent or carer consistently and lovingly watching over a child as they sleep, wake, sleep again, cry, nap, stir and repeat…beautifully captures how attentive God is to every single one of his children. To me, these verses capture a glimpse of God’s heart for us. It shows us that he’s constantly checking in to see how we are doing, ready to hold and embrace us and tending to our needs and worries. He never gets tired, he never falls asleep and he watches over us every hour of the day and night. What a comforting reminder for our present moment.

Prayer - Attentive God,

Thank you for watching me so faithfully every single day and every single night. Help me to be soothed and comforted by these verses today.