Daily Meditation: "Awake"

SCRIPTURE

You kept my eyes from closing; I was too troubled to speak. I thought about the former days, the years of long ago; I remembered my songs in the night. My heart meditated and my spirit asked: “Will the Lord reject forever? Will God never show favor again? Has God’s unfailing love vanished forever? Has that promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has God in anger withheld compassion?” - Psalm 77:4-9

REFLECTION

When I listen to people these days, one of the things I hear a lot is how much trouble we’re all having getting a good night’s sleep. We absorb so much troubling information all day long, it is no wonder that we can’t relax our minds and bodies at night and we toss and turn, mulling over all that worries us.

I’ve dealt with insomnia more than once in my life, and I know that ever since the boys were born and we got up during the night to feed them, I still wake up at two or three every night and have a tough time getting back to sleep. Sometimes, I don’t; especially these days. I get to thinking about what’s going on with COVID, or social unrest, or climate change, or how fast life is going by, or things I wish I could have done differently, or…..yeah, you get the picture.

Anyone else?

Invariably, I get to talking with God in those wee hours. Thankfully, I know I’m not alone in that regard. I’m up with countless others going through the same thing, and over the millennia there have likewise been countless others struggling through sleepless nights over the plights, struggles, and concerns of their lives. Just like the psalmist, we toss and turn and wonder how long things will last, what’s God up to in all this, is God even paying attention, and does God even care?

Of course, the answer is God does listen, does care, and is right there to listen to us in the middle of the night when no one else does or can. Perhaps that consolation is enough to help us get back to sleep, if only for an hour or so.

PRAYER

God Of All Hours, thank you for listening to us in our restless hours. Give us calm and peace of mind in the midst of our troubles so that we might partake of the rest we need to face a new day.

Amen.

Peace,

Shawn