While You Are Sleeping

Andrew has been going through a phase of doubts. The one that breaks my heart the most is when he questions whether I'll be there for him like I promise to be, whether it's coming to pick him up from a birthday party or being home when he returns from a friend's house. Both of our boys have struggled at times with the fear of being abandoned. I wonder if it's genetic because I had the same fears as a child. To assure my boys of my love and commitment, I'll often remind them of a time in the past when I kept my promise or when I showered them with love because I couldn't help myself! It wasn't because I had to, but because I wanted to! I wrote the following devotion this week as I reflected on this truth...

“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV)

Startled by silence, I jumped up and looked at the familiar neon red lights that told me it was three in the morning, time to feed the baby. Andrew hadn’t made a sound. Was something wrong? Or could he be sleeping through the night? I wavered between panic and joy as I felt my way down the hall to the nursery and leaned over Andrew’s crib. I listened for the sweet sound of his breathing and carefully rested my hand on his tiny chest to feel the gentle rhythm of its rising and falling.

Moonlight slipped through the blinds helping me to see that he was perfectly fine. Most sane mothers would have gone back to bed. But not me, I stood there for a while watching my child sleep. The love and joy that I felt at that moment was almost overwhelming. How could I love someone so much? My heart longed just to be near this little guy who set my days in motion with his cries and smiles.

Andrew developed a routine of sleeping through the night soon after, yet I would listen for his cries hoping I'd have a good excuse to check on him. While he was sleeping, I’d sneak into his room just because I wanted to be with him. Then I’d tiptoe into my older son Joshua’s room, and watch him slumber. As I looked at their faces, I’d dream of the little guys God was shaping them into. I’d whisper prayers for them to know Jesus in a personal way. I’d ask God to calm their fears, to fulfill their dreams, and to establish their steps to walk in His ways and not in the paths the world would pave for them.

There are still many nights that I sneak into to watch my children while they are sleeping, simply because I want to be with them. They aren’t doing anything to make me feel proud or happy. They may have even driven me to my wits’ end that day, but I enjoy them because they are mine. God feels the same way about you and me. He wants to be with us and promises to be there for us all the time.

God delights greatly in you! He is always there to quiet your heart with his love, even while you are sleeping. He watches over you, and I bet He even dreams of the woman (or man) He’s designed you to be. The Bible says His heart is filled with joy for you, so much so that sometimes He breaks into a song about it.

My friend Jill and I were talking about this and she said, "What a great reminder when nothing is going right; when we feel like the whole world is against us and nobody understands what we’re going through." So if you happen to be having one of those days, I hope you'll imagine the love of a parent watching their child sleeping and remember there’s a God who loves you even more than that!

Lord, thank You for the reminder that You are always with me and that You love to watch over me, every minute of every day – even while I am sleeping! Help me to completely believe the truth about Your love towards me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Faith Espresso
Be still and believe that God is watching over you at this moment. No matter what you have done or what has been done to you, God’s love reaches down to hold you in His embrace. Bow your head and tilt your heart to listen to Him whisper, “You are precious in my sight and I love you.” Now breathe in and breathe out the reality that He hears your prayers, He knows your needs and He’s constantly by your side.

Coffee Talk
Do you ever imagine that God is watching over you, smiling and delighting in the fact that you are HIS child?

Would you like to begin a love relationship with Jesus today, accepting your secure position as God’s child? Click Do You Know Him? to know more.

If you could use more daily reminders of how much God loves you, read today’s Holy Grounds and write them on an index card or sticky note and carry them with you all day! And check out "Encouragement for Today" - free email devotions from Proverbs 31 Ministries.

Holy Grounds
Psalm 34:15, “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry;” (NIV)

Psalm 139: 1-3, “O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.” (NIV)

Psalm 33:18, “But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love.” (NIV)