In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety (Psalm 4:8).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. (Psalm 121:2-4).
Lord,
We wake for another day and we wonder what it will hold.
We wake, and pour our coffee, and read the news and go through our day, occupied with our various concerns.
But as the sun sets and we are ready to turn out the lights, and we wonder what tomorrow or next week will hold in this rapidly changing world, though we may be weary from the day’s work and worries, sleep may seem to evade us. Lord, it does seem like a dangerous world and, even in our quiet corner of the world, something like COVID-19 reminds us that we are vulnerable. It can be hard to let down our guard for a little while to rest, to sleep.
But Lord, our help and protection do not come from how well we can self-isolate and stock up, but in You, the maker of heaven and earth. You are the infinitely mighty God, and so You have no need of sleep to recharge your energy. And You watch over us. Despite our fears about COVID-19, You do make us dwell in safety. Though we are not necessarily promised physical health, we are promised Your presence and provision and perseverance to the end, to eternity. Whatever happens, we are not left out of Your good care, Your goodness toward us, Your faithful love. Even in the hard things, You work for our good.
So we can sleep tight in peace knowing that You are on the night watch, standing guard, and we wake in the same good care that we laid down with. Our sleep is an act of trust in You - that we don’t have to be on our guard all the time, that the worries of tomorrow are still in Your sovereign care.
Help us to trust You.
Help us to rest well,
Even in a restless and wearying world.
As we lay down to sleep, ease our minds from our worries, fears, and anxieties,
Our uncertainties about how we’ll adapt to our new reality,
Our worries about what we’ll do when or if something happens,
And help us to sleep.
It’s in Jesus’ strong name we pray,
Amen.
Click here for a list of ways we can pray specifically in this COVID-19 situation.