Psalm 121:3, 4
· He won't let you stumble;
your Guardian God won't fall asleep.
Not on your life! Israel's
Guardian will never doze or sleep. (MSG)
· The LORD is your protector, and he won't go to sleep or let you stumble. The protector of Israel doesn't doze or ever get drowsy. (CEV)
· He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: He that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. (ASV)
Who in your life has your complete and utter confidence? I am speaking of that one person who you feel always has your best interests at heart, loves you unconditionally and gives you wise counsel when you are in need. You know, that person who you believe will always, ALWAYS be there for you no matter what comes. Your spouse may come to mind or maybe a parent. Some of you may be thinking of a dear friend, professor or pastor’s wife while others find themselves struggling to wrap their mind around exactly who that person would be in their life. All he while there may be some having a difficult time narrowing down their list. Honestly, for me, Dan was the first to pop in my mind. From the first time we met I knew there was something radically different about him. He was truthful, strived to live rightly and really cared for me on an unconditional basis (and trust me, I gave him lots of reason not to do so…). With all the wonderful qualities he possesses one thing I did find to be true ~ no matter how hard he tried not to disappointment, there were times where he did. There are times he still does and vice versa. Neither of us is perfect and no matter how we struggle not to disappoint the other it still happens. Thankfully both of us have found the One who will not let us down nor will he fall asleep on our watch.
I love the Psalm 121 scripture which began this post. It was difficult choosing a particular version to quote but the three I chose seemed to encapsulate really what I wanted to share today. Let’s break it down shall we?
1. God will not let us stumble ~ period!
So what does it mean to stumble? Other words to describe it include “to trip, fall, stagger, slip”. Just as the mountains found in Israel whose base is secure, our footsteps shall be secure under His watchful eye. His protective hand shelters us and guards us so that we will not be steered off course, stumbling in the darkness. As long as we stay firmly connected to Him, our footing will remain secure in Him.
2. He doesn’t even need sleep…
I don’t know about you but I need about 6-8 hours of sleep to function normally. I prefer 8 hours but you know as well as I do that being a family manager, mom, wife, employer, employee, student, etc…, however you would describe yourself, 8 full hours of sleep comes only when we may be knocked out by Phenergan while we are sick with the flu. Even then we may wake periodically to make sure the house is still standing around our sickbed. Sleep is necessary for us to perform the duties we must throughout the day. Not so with our Heavenly Father! He never takes His watchful, protective, loving eye off of us. He never needs a power nap or 8 full hours of sleep to take care of us. Psalm 121 says “(He) will never doze or sleep.”
I recall when we first brought Alex home from the hospital at 2 days hold. That precious little bundle to joy…the one who NEVER WANTED TO SLEEP! Truth be told, Alex still “never put(s) off til tomorrow what will keep (him) from going to bed tonight.” (Adapted from an Evan Esar quote). Alex needs VERY little sleep. I, on the other hand, count down the hours until I can rest, relax and re-charge. I am so thankful God never puts a sign up that says “Back in 10 minutes ~ I am napping”, aren’t you?
3. He is forever on guard and protecting us…
I Peter 5: 8 states:
“Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [[a]in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour.” (Amplified Bible)
While I was pregnant with Alex I watched the Laci Peterson saga play out on television. We were due near the same time, we were both considering the name “Conner” and some say we even favored each other. Due to my escalating hormones, I became very paranoid and anxious. Because the night seemed to bring on heightened anxiety, I would stay up as late as I could and catnap during the day to make up for it. We even put in a security system to help alleviate my nervousness. Once Alex was born, I would go in and out of his room throughout the night making sure he was still there and OK, all the while listening to each breath through my monitor. Wow, was I a case! I was going to do everything I could do to protect him no matter what! I purposed that nothing would happen on my watch. However noble my attempts, I could only do so much. Eventually I would have to rest and sleep. My body would not let me continue on such an erratic schedule with little sleep. But…BUT…thanks be to God who is FOREVER on guard and protecting us! In the 1 Peter scripture we are told that Satan is like a hungry lion always on the look for prey. Occasionally I watch the Discovery Channel. I have seen episodes that follow a lion as he hunts for dinner. He scopes out the land, finding his prey. He watches to identify weaknesses and waiting for the perfect time to pounce. He is a proficient hunter who has perfected his skill. Then the kill…
Satan scopes out the land of our lives, looking for his opportunity. He waits for the perfect time to pounce but when He does ~ WATCH OUT ~ the hand of our Father reaches down and plucks him up and flicks him out of our path! Yeah!
Our Father…
doesn’t let us stumble.
never sleeps.
always protects.
Whew, after meditating on all that, I need a nap…
In Him,
Stefanie
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