A Song of Ascents.
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.
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.
The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore. (Psalm 121)
Worshiping the One Who Works When We Sleep
Psalm 121
In worship this past Sunday I described my bouts with anxiety as a new parent (a few years ago) and my worry that I was going to really mess up. I have messed up many times as a dad and, in general, as a human, but I have taken great solace in this Psalm that reminds me that God neither slumbers nor sleeps. When I lay my head down at night, I can rest trusting that God’s day is just beginning. When I raise my head in the morning, I awaken to take on a day God has already set in motion and have the opportunity to be a part of what He is doing. When we find those kinds of rhythms it brings great perspective and helps us live in faith, remembering that God is God and we are not, which is a very good thing. Regular Sabbath practices, in which we step back from the productive rigors of our daily grind and reconnect with God restfully can help us establish and maintain those God-honoring, soul-renewing rhythms. Many of our struggles come when our lives get out of rhythm and we begin to seek control that belongs in God’s hands and not ours. May God help us remember that we worship the One who works when we sleep.
· Read the creation narrative from Genesis 1:1-2:3. Here God establishes days that begin with evening and end with morning. How does this differ from our typical ideas of how days work? How might our approach to life be different if we began to pay attention to how God works when we sleep and sets things in motion without any input from us?
· What do you think about the concept of Sabbath? What renews, invigorates, and restores you? How might you be intentional about engaging in those practices more often?
· How does the idea of a God who does not need sleep speak to you? If God works when we sleep, how can that transform how we rest, work, and play?
Spend a few moments prayerfully reflecting on these lines from God’s word:
Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep. (Psalm 121:4)
“Awake, O sleeper,
and arise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.” (Ephesians 5:14)
If you missed this week’s message, you can catch up here. We look forward to worshiping with you again on Sunday! Please also remember to share your answers/comments at eramirez@fbcweslaco.org