While You Are Sleeping

For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.
(Zephaniah 3:17 NLT)

Startled by the silence, I sat up in bed so I could see the neon red lights that told me it was three in the morning, time to feed the baby. But Andrew hadn’t made a sound. Was something wrong? Or was he sleeping through the night?

Wavering between panic and joy, I felt my way down the hall to the nursery and leaned over Andrew’s crib. I listened for the sound of his breathing and carefully rested my hand on his tiny chest to feel the gentle rhythm of its rising and falling.

Moonlight slipped through the blinds, helping me to see he was perfectly fine.

Most sane mothers would have gone back to bed, but not me. I stood there for a while delighting in my child. My heart simply longed to be with this little guy who set my days in motion with his cries and smiles.

How can I love someone this much? I wondered.

Even after Andrew started sleeping through the night regularly, I would still listen for him, hoping for an excuse to see if he was okay. And sometimes, while he was sleeping, I’d sneak into his room just because I wanted to be with him.

Whispering prayers over him, I’d ask God to calm his fears, fulfill his dreams, and lead my son’s steps to follow His. This continued for years. Even when Andrew and his brother were teenagers, I’d sneak into their rooms to pray over them while they were sleeping.

It didn’t matter that they weren’t doing a thing to make me proud or happy. In fact, they may have driven me crazy that day, but I still wanted to be with them just because they were mine.

God feels the exact same way about you, you know?

He watches over you and delights in you, not because you’re doing anything for Him, but simply because you are His.

He longs to quiet your heart with His love, to calm your fears, insecurities and doubts with His presence.

He loves you, and He loves to be with you, even while you are sleeping.

Lord, thank You for the reminder that You are always with me, watching over me, every minute of every day — even while I am sleeping. Help me believe this truth about Your love towards me and rest in it today.