GOD NEVER SWITCHES OFF!
Opening Prayer
Gracious Lord, in this quiet time. I am here; opening my mind, surrendering my heart, offering my will to You.
Read PSALM 121
A song of ascents.
1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord watches over you—
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
‘The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.’1
Think Further
This much-loved psalm begins with a conundrum. In saying he lifts his eyes to the mountains, the psalmist may mean one of two very different things. En route to Jerusalem, pilgrims pass mountains where non-Israelites worship their idols. Is he saying that in contrast, his faith is not in mountain idols but in the living God? Or, since his destination is Mount Zion, are the mountains symbolic of the ageless, rock-solid God who created them? Maybe, as one of my former theology lecturers impishly used to advise, you don’t have to choose between them. Both are true. Have a double blessing.
What follows is crystal clear. God is utterly reliable in exercising care over us. He never shuts His eyes for a moment and never takes a vacation. Day and night, coming and going, in little things and big, now and forever. He proves the best security there is, saving us from harm. If harm comes, as it did to Joseph, it does so for His providential purposes and not because He’s failed us. If you’ve ever been involved in a royal occasion, you’ll have been intensely watched over from on high by British security. It’s reassuring, but nothing compared with our security in God.
Many people have trouble sleeping because they don’t switch off their electronic gadgets early enough. From early morning to well beyond bedtime, on weekends and vacation, the electronic screen unhealthily captivates our attention, causing problems. We need to switch it off! But God isn’t like us. One great difference, in spite of his taking a Sabbath at the creation, is that His energy never runs out and His watchfullness never tires. At any time, in every circumstance and in the remotest place, He is watching over us. That’s the best protective security of all.
Apply
God sees everything you do. Is this something you welcome or something you fear? If you fear it, why? What can you do to change this?
Closing prayer
Lord, I thank for Your help. Daily life can drain me of joy, but You replenish and refresh me by Your presence. I praise You with my whole heart.
1 Prov 15:3
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