Pathways Press.com

Written by Clarence L. Haynes, Jr., a contemporary public speaker, ministry leader, and writer.  

We have a young daughter who is still getting used to sleeping in her own bed in her own room. I feel it is taking much longer for this to happen, but maybe that is a conversation for another time. Recently she came into our bedroom, and she said she couldn’t fall asleep because she was afraid. We had just prayed before she went to bed, and yet she said she was still afraid. I encouraged her it was going to be okay and she could go back to her room. To this, she responded, “Could you at least stay with me until I fall asleep?” I thought that was a reasonable request, so I went into her room and sat with her until she fell asleep. The comfort in her knowing I was there, watching over her, and being able to protect her if something happened allowed her to fall asleep quickly and rest easily. As I thought about her request, it reminded me of Psalm 121:4. We have a God in heaven who never sleeps nor slumbers. If we are going to have full disclosure, we are more like my daughter than we sometimes want to admit. Even after praying, we can still find ourselves afraid, anxious, or worried. Many times, this results from not knowing what will happen or how things are going to work out. It is in these moments we need to do like my daughter did. What she desired was the comfort of my presence, and because she knew I was there, it changed her mind set and gave her peace. This is exactly what we must do.

Prayer:

This prayer is from the “Carmina Gadelica,” from the Gaelic regions of Scotland.

I lie down this night with God,

And God will lie down with me ;

I lie down this night with Christ,

And Christ will lie down with me ;

I lie down this night with Spirit,

And the Spirit will lie down with me

God and Christ and the Spirit

Be lying down with me.