He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber.
Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps.
Psalm 121:3-4 (NLT)
When our twins were newborns, their feeding schedules were not in sync. While the bigger twin ate every three hours, the smaller one was on a two-hour schedule because of his low birth weight. This meant my husband and I had to split the night shift. He would stay up till midnight, allowing me to get a good four hours of sleep from 8:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. Then we switched so he could get four to five hours of sleep before heading out to work at 6:00 a.m.
Those early morning hours were long and tiring. While my body craved more sleep, I stood vigil beside my two precious boys, keeping watch while the rest of the house slept. My motivation to get up at midnight? Love. Pure, unconditional, sacrificial love.
Sleep deprivation is common among parents of children with special needs. Those long, challenging night hours are just par for the course. Thankfully, we have a God who never slumbers or sleeps. He keeps vigil with us through those dark and lonely hours of the night. He sees us as we sit beside our child’s sick bed. He knows when we rise to feed a newborn or comfort a frightened child.
Look at verse 5: The LORD Himself watches over us! He doesn’t send a delegate or put us on a waiting list. On the contrary, our Heavenly Father is personally and intimately involved and attentive every moment of every day. So when you can’t sleep or need to keep vigil, talk to the One who’s not sleeping either. Don’t worry that He might fall asleep on you. He is engaged one hundred percent. That’s His unfailing promise to each of His loved ones.
Thought: “His eyes never slumber, and His hands never rest; His heart never ceases to beat with love, and His shoulders are never weary of carrying His people’s burdens.” – Charles Spurgeon
For further reading:
- 1 Kings 18:1-40
- Psalm 4:8
- Psalm 63:6-8
- Psalm 145:18-20
Excerpt from my devotional, A Year in God’s Classroom