Sunday, March 15, 2020
IS GOD ASLEEP?
My message today
Psalm 121 “I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my
help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”
A small child was having a difficult time being quiet in
church. Whispering in his ear, his father said in desperation, "Hush, this
is where God lives. Be quiet when you are in His house!"
"Why?" asked the child. "Is God asleep?"
Certainly not. Our God, the God Who created heaven and earth
- and all that is in it and on it and above it - has promised us in His Word
that He is always watching over us, day and night. We must never forget that He
is "awake," watching carefully and waiting patiently to guide and
guard us. This One, this all-powerful God, who loved us and gave His Son to
redeem us, is always available to meet our every need – every moment of every
day!
We often forget that God is constantly watching over us and
caring deeply for us. More than anyone we know, He is for us. We often
"trade Him in" for lesser "gods" who cannot be trusted -
the gods of money and power, prestige and worldly success. Even though we turn
to them often and trust in them deeply, only the God who created us will always
be faithful to us, strengthen and sustain us and never abandon us. In Him we
are safe and secure - day and night.
Mary Crowley once said: “Every evening I turn my worries
over to God. He’s going to be up all night anyway.” If the reader doesn’t know
who May Crowley was, here is a brief biography. Mary C. Crowley (1915–1986),
was the founder and CEO of the Texas-based Home Interiors and Gifts, Inc.,
which became one of the largest direct sales home furnishing operations in America . She was
considered to be one of the leading businesswomen in the United States in the 1970s.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Crowley ’s words are based on Psalm 121:3-4.
The psalmist writes,“He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will
not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor
sleep.”
Psalm 121 is a bold word for the weary. “I lift up my eyes
to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who
made heaven and earth,” the writer declares at the outset (v.1).
While every follower of Jesus can turn to this short song
for clarity and strength in times of uncertainty, it takes on fresh
significance for new parents who find sleep elusive and fatigue as commonplace
as dirty diapers.
I want to make three hopeful observations about God’s
character emerge from Psalm 121.
1. He’s an Able Helper
The psalmist says that our help is from the one “who made
heaven and earth” (v.2). God is able. God is capable; and he is waiting for us
to let go of the prideful urge to “go at it” alone, and call out to him in
prayer for strength.
But how does God practically help us? Supernatural aid comes
from the intercession of the Holy Spirit. He prays for us to faithfully endure
during seasons of weakness (Romans 8:26-27). Help also comes from a spouse
dealing with their own exhaustion, who is willing to strengthen their marriage
by serving their beloved through sacrificial love (I Corinthians 16:14, 1
Corinthians 13:7, 1 John 3:16). And it comes from family members and friends
who graciously offer to babysit so lethargic parents can recoup some lost
shuteye.
In short, between the holy Trinity, a spouse, and family and
friends, this collective cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1) surrounding new
parents is substantial help delivered down from God on high.
2. He’s Eternally Awake; Limitless in Strength.
God never slumbers nor sleeps. He’s eternally alert. Think
about that statement for a moment.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
recommends that adults sleep for seven or more hours per night. For parents of
newborns, infants, and toddlers, seven uninterrupted hours of sleep is only a
dream now.
But the God “who keeps you” (v. 3) will not doze off at 10
pm watching the latest show on Netflix or scrolling through notifications on a
smartphone. He doesn’t need the recommended seven-to-nine hours of rest before
he’s rejuvenated to begin the next day. No, he’s available every minute of
every day for the entirety of our lives and into eternity.
The prophet Isaiah says that those who wait on the Lord will
find renewed strength (Isaiah 40:31).
God alone renews our strength to parent another day. Our earthly, mortal
supply of strength is not an eternal reservoir like the Almighty’s. We need
rest for the body and the mind, but “He does not faint or grow weary” (Isaiah
40:38).
And if we go to the Lord asking for rest, he has promised
that very thing. “For he gives to his beloved sleep,” he says in his Word
(Psalm 127:2).
God is always awake for our sake.
3. He’s our Loving Keeper.
“The Lord will keep your going out and coming in from this
time forth and forevermore” (v. 8). Parents’ love for their children is deep,
but it’s a shadow of the infinite love God has for his children. Psalm 121 is
anchored in affection. Every verse is one more promise of God’s loving
provision and blessed assurance that he will “keep your life” (v. 7).
The Lord keeps us from evil through his salvation.
Speaking of which, God is our keeper. As a parent physically
“keeps” (watches over) their children throughout the day, so God the Father
keeps us “from all evil” (v. 7). by the continuous intercession of his Son,
Jesus, for those who have repented and believed in him (Romans 8:34). Through
the death of Jesus on the cross and his resurrection, God has kept us from the
greatest evil; that is, separation from him for eternity because of sin. Paul
writes about God’s divine proximity through Christ’s reconciliation: “But now
in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood
of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13).
The Lord keeps us from evil through loving discipline.
As adults, we’re still prone to stumbling in sin as we begin
the hard process of raising our kids. “Fathers, do not provoke your children to
anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord,” Paul
writes to the church in Ephesus
(Ephesians 6:4). As we parent our children and discipline them according to the
Scriptures, we too should earnestly look to our heavenly Father to correct our
own mistakes through his Spirit’s conviction. For Solomon writes by God’s
Spirit, “My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his
reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom
he delights” (Proverbs 3:11-12).
As the father of a seven-month-old, I can fully attest to
the lack of sleep that everyone told me about in the months preceding his
birth. I’ll further confess that uninterrupted sleep has brought strain into my
marriage. Two parents who don’t sleep well will become short with one another.
However, we must acknowledge our sin, take ownership of it in repentance, and
fight for a loving marriage that’s been forever altered in the best way by the
addition of a child. For “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the
fruit of the womb a reward,” (Psalm 127:3).
So, the next time your child is leaving you dreadfully weary
and unable to fall back asleep at 2:30 am, like my son has, pray for strength
to the one who is able, awake, and full of love for you, his child.
He’s going to be up all night anyway.
