Sunday morning, when I got up, I found this note on an index card stuck in my bathroom mirror:
I was up really late with Kenny last night because he had an earache. Please let everyone sleep as long as possible. Love, Phil
Fortunately, Kenny’s ear felt much better when he woke up for the day. But later that morning, my husband told me that he and Kenny hadn’t been able to get to bed until 2:45 a.m.
I thought about Kenny’s earache when I sat down to write this week’s devotional, and about how Phil stayed up with him. Phil had said that Kenny kept trying to go to bed, but his ear pain kept waking him up. Several times, he came out of his room to let Daddy know he couldn’t sleep, and each time, Daddy would try another remedy. Phil explained that he simply stayed up until 2:45, when Kenny was finally asleep, knowing that if he went back to bed, he would likely have to get up again anyway.
God watches over you and me in the same way—except for waking up tired the next morning. The Bible tells us that He doesn’t ever sleep; He’s always busy taking care of us, night and day. While it’s true that God doesn’t have a physical body that needs sleep, let’s not let that fact distract us from the incredible reality: God is constantly, 100% of the time, watching over us.
Even while we’re asleep, He watches over us. When we’re paying no attention to Him whatsoever, He watches over us. His care is so constant, His love so perfectly persistent, that He never takes His eyes off us. Not for a second.
We know this fact, but we usually think of it in terms of, “God is always watching, so I better not sin.” We don’t realize it’s also a joyous revelation: “God is always watching so that He can take care of me and meet any need I have.”
Just as Phil sat ready and waiting for Kenny to come say that he needed him, so God is always ready for us to come to Him and tell Him we’re in need. Yes, He already knows what we need even before we ask, but sometimes, He waits for us to ask before He provides. Just as Kenny would not have received help from Daddy if he had remained in his room, so we sometimes miss out on God’s help because we don’t ask.
Whatever your need is—whether you’re in pain in the middle of the night, as Kenny was, or whether you’re in need in broad daylight—go tell God you need help.
He’s ready and waiting to hear from you.
Psalm 121:4—Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.