If you follow my decrees and are careful to
obey my commands, ...I will give you peace in the land, and you will be able to
sleep with no cause for fear. I will rid the land of wild animals and keep your
enemies out of your land. Leviticus
26:3, 6 
Peace, peace wonderful peace. A peace that
allows me to rest, just as David expressed in a Psalm that he wrote about
trusting God.
In peace I will lie down and
sleep, for you alone, O LORD, will keep me safe. Psalm 4:8
Trusting
God is really what it is all about. He has promised to keep the enemies and scary
wild animals away. There was a cougar spotted only a few miles from my
home this winter when it was unusually cold and snowy. The animal didn’t harm
anyone…but it was likely very hungry as all the rabbits it customarily ate were
hiding from the blustery weather. I’ve personally seen coyotes nearby three
times in the last twenty years, but I’m not losing any sleep over having these
animals in our vicinity. I worry more that they will get hit by a car and
killed. Then how will the mouse population be controlled? There is an
ecological balance when we have natural predators. Balance gives peace—no fear—but
does it give you restful sleep? Trusting in the Lord gives peace and fearless sleep.
Ezekiel commented about living and sleeping securely when he wrote about a new
covenant, the millennial kingdom and the Messiah.
I
will make a covenant of peace with them and eliminate harmful beasts from the
land so that they may live securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. Ezekiel
34:25 NASB
I’m not sure how many people really like to “sleep in the
woods” but that is a favorite of mine. There is nothing like sleeping and waking
under tall pine or fir trees, hearing the wind through their branches, and
smelling the fresh mountain air. Add in a babbling brook and you’ll have a
peaceful night’s sleep. Being out in the wilderness reminds me of another depth
of God’s creation. You can see God’s creation in the produce at the grocery store,
beautiful sunrises and sunsets, in newborn babies and in the stars in the night
sky. But the quietness of a vast wilderness experience whether it is in the
desert, mountains or seashore provides another dimension of God’s creativity. Can
you find His peace there? Can you find His peace in your heart no matter where
you are?
Prayer
~ Lord God, provide me with a new revelation of your peace in my life so that
I will lie down and sleep well, for you alone, O LORD, will keep me safe.
Daily
Bible Reading: February 25 – Numbers 5-6
©
2017 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All
scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible
- http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm. www.blueletterbible.org/dailyreading
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