Psalm 121:4-5 "Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall
neither slumber nor sleep. (5) The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy
shade upon thy right hand."
I have to admit, there are days when I am tired in the afternoons
and I sit down in my recliner. Before I realize it, I have been asleep for
sometimes 30 minutes. I also admit it feels good to be able to relax and doze.
But then, sometimes my afternoon nap causes me to toss and turn at night. While
I'm tossing and turning, guess what gear my mind goes into? That's right. My
mind goes into high gear and I cannot seem to stop thinking about things over
which I have no control.
What does that have to do with this morning's devotion? I'm
glad you asked. 😊
First, God never gets tired. He doe not need an afternoon
nap in order to regroup and renew His strength. He never tosses and turns at
night because of fretting over matters of life. Remember when Jesus was in the
boat with His disciples. The storm arose and the disciples were frightened. Was
Jesus concerned about the storm? No, He was quietly resting in the back part of
the ship. God is greater than any storm of life. Be assured of that. Jesus, the
man, was asleep in the ship. God never sleeps. So in the middle of the night
when we are tossing and turning, He is on His throne in full control. He says
to us, "Give it to me."
He is our shade. Some of us remember the days when there was
no air conditioning. On a hot summer day, we would head to the biggest tree to
find the widest area of shade. If there was a nice breeze, we could find great
relief from the heat of the day. When life throws its difficulties at us and we
begin to feel the heat of trying to just get through each day, God tells us to
go to Him. He will give us shade (protection) from the heat. He will give us
the much needed relief. Instead of causing ourselves grief by trying to figure
all things out ourselves, let us be self-disciplined to "take it to the
Lord and leave it there." He can handle it and give us mercy and grace to
help in time of our need.