Sleep in Peace
Psalm Friday
Psalm Friday
Psalm 17
* Pray. Ask God to give you an open heart and mind to learn new truths from His Word. Read Psalm 17 through three times. Record any thoughts or questions you have in your journal. If a verse stands out to you, write it on an index card and begin committing it to memory.
Psalm 17 is a prayer of protection that David prayed to the Lord. David is petitioning God for protection from his enemies. Have you noticed how often David is seeking after God for protection and shelter from his enemies? Why? Why does this seem to be a reoccurring theme of David’s writings? David was a man after God’s own heart, seeking to honor God in all that he did. He didn’t fit into the “norm” of society. He was different; a Jesus freak of his day. People didn’t think too highly of him because of that and they wanted to render him ineffective for the heavenly Kingdom and also for his earthly kingdom. There were precious few in his day who desired to see his earthly kingdom flourish.
There are many different directions we could go with this Psalm and many different nuggets of truth we could pull from it, but yesterday the Lord gave me a very specific nugget of truth that I want to share with you today. Between 9:00 am and 10:00 am is naptime at our house for my ten month old daughter. When I laid her down yesterday she was having no part of taking her nap. Even though she was exhausted, you could see it in her eyes, she was bound and determined she was not going to sleep. She screamed and she cried. And she screamed and she cried. And she screamed and she cried. And on and on it went for 10 minutes. 15 minutes. 20 minutes. I remembered what a professor told me in college in a child psychology class I was taking, “No child has ever died from crying because they didn’t want to take a nap. Let your child cry. It’s good for the lungs.” “Ok. So, I know she’s not hungry, she just had a bottle; she has her Molly doll, her blankie, and her paci; she’s not dirty or wet, so in an effort to help her lungs become strong (WHATEVER!) I’ll let her continue to cry,” I told myself.
As I stood in the kitchen trying to drink a cup of coffee and tune out the crying, God began speaking to my heart. “When you cry out to Me, precious child, I hear you. I don’t turn My back to you. I come to your rescue.” David was crying out to God in this Psalm for protection because he knew that God was going to hear him. David knew that his God was going to stretch out His hand and take hold of him. He knew that God was going to protect him and comfort him. David needed to be loved on by his God; he needed to feel the powerful arms of God Almighty wrapped around his tired, feeble body.
“6) I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God. Bend down (literally means to out stretch or stretch forth) and listen as I pray. 7) Show me Your unfailing love in wonderful ways. By Your mighty power You rescuethose who seek refuge from their enemies. 8) Guard me as You would guard Your own eyes. Hide me in the shadow of Your wings.” Psalm 17:6-8
Well for Pete’s sake, after that little moment with the Lord, forget child psychology, there was no way I was going to continue to let my little one cry out for me. She needed some lovin’ from her moma. When I opened the door, she reached for me and said “moma, moma” tears streaming down her face. “Moma’s here, baby. It’s ok.” I picked her up and cradled her in my arms with her Molly, blankie, and paci, of course, and softly sang to her, “Hide me now under Your wings. Cover me within Your mighty hands…. Father You are king over the flood… be still and now that He is God… find rest my soul in Christ alone…
Psalm 17 is a prayer of protection that David prayed to the Lord. David is petitioning God for protection from his enemies. Have you noticed how often David is seeking after God for protection and shelter from his enemies? Why? Why does this seem to be a reoccurring theme of David’s writings? David was a man after God’s own heart, seeking to honor God in all that he did. He didn’t fit into the “norm” of society. He was different; a Jesus freak of his day. People didn’t think too highly of him because of that and they wanted to render him ineffective for the heavenly Kingdom and also for his earthly kingdom. There were precious few in his day who desired to see his earthly kingdom flourish.
There are many different directions we could go with this Psalm and many different nuggets of truth we could pull from it, but yesterday the Lord gave me a very specific nugget of truth that I want to share with you today. Between 9:00 am and 10:00 am is naptime at our house for my ten month old daughter. When I laid her down yesterday she was having no part of taking her nap. Even though she was exhausted, you could see it in her eyes, she was bound and determined she was not going to sleep. She screamed and she cried. And she screamed and she cried. And she screamed and she cried. And on and on it went for 10 minutes. 15 minutes. 20 minutes. I remembered what a professor told me in college in a child psychology class I was taking, “No child has ever died from crying because they didn’t want to take a nap. Let your child cry. It’s good for the lungs.” “Ok. So, I know she’s not hungry, she just had a bottle; she has her Molly doll, her blankie, and her paci; she’s not dirty or wet, so in an effort to help her lungs become strong (WHATEVER!) I’ll let her continue to cry,” I told myself.
As I stood in the kitchen trying to drink a cup of coffee and tune out the crying, God began speaking to my heart. “When you cry out to Me, precious child, I hear you. I don’t turn My back to you. I come to your rescue.” David was crying out to God in this Psalm for protection because he knew that God was going to hear him. David knew that his God was going to stretch out His hand and take hold of him. He knew that God was going to protect him and comfort him. David needed to be loved on by his God; he needed to feel the powerful arms of God Almighty wrapped around his tired, feeble body.
“6) I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God. Bend down (literally means to out stretch or stretch forth) and listen as I pray. 7) Show me Your unfailing love in wonderful ways. By Your mighty power You rescuethose who seek refuge from their enemies. 8) Guard me as You would guard Your own eyes. Hide me in the shadow of Your wings.” Psalm 17:6-8
Well for Pete’s sake, after that little moment with the Lord, forget child psychology, there was no way I was going to continue to let my little one cry out for me. She needed some lovin’ from her moma. When I opened the door, she reached for me and said “moma, moma” tears streaming down her face. “Moma’s here, baby. It’s ok.” I picked her up and cradled her in my arms with her Molly, blankie, and paci, of course, and softly sang to her, “Hide me now under Your wings. Cover me within Your mighty hands…. Father You are king over the flood… be still and now that He is God… find rest my soul in Christ alone…
Within just a few moments she was sound asleep. Beloved, we can find rest in Christ. His power is beyond anything we can begin to imagine. There’s nothing He can’t handle. David knew that. He knew that in God was peace and rest. God used my little one to show me that in His arms and under the protection of His mighty power I am safe. As the battles rage around me and the enemy stands against me, I can sleep soundly knowing that when I wake I will see His face.
Oh, precious Father. Thank You that You always hear me when I cry out to You. Hold me today and my sweet sisters in Your arms. May we sleep soundly knowing that You are in control of all things.
3 Lovely Thoughts Shared:
Thank you, Jenifer ~~ I'm needing that peace and rest of God myself right now! God bless you and your sweet little one :) Karon
Receiving Grace, Reflecting God
http://receivinggracereflectinggod.blogspot.com/
What a precious little girl! And what a sweet and tender picture of how He loves us and is there for us! I had not heard this song before. Beautiful!
Thanks for asking about the MOPS meeting. It isn't until next Tuesday. I'm really excited. God's timing is so perfect. It was already scheduled for us to have a speaker talking to us about the power of prayer, especially prayer for our husbands and children. :) So your link to those pages was PERFECT! Thanks again!
What a wonderful song to wash over us! Loved it and I love when we can so clearly hear God speak to us.
Your daughter is beautiful!
Post a Comment