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 last 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 have a
recipe for a peaceful night’s sleep.
 |
| Mt. Rainier - somewhere behind the clouds. |
My hubby and I took a road trip up to the mountains
yesterday—all the way to Mt. Rainier. It was fogged in—wrapped itself in a
cloud. A mountain of that size, 14,411 feet high, creates its own weather. A
friend of mine used to say that fog made her feel like Jesus was wrapping His
arms around her. We certainly felt that presence of Jesus today. 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 market, 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 mountains, desert, 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? Do you have His peace to
give you a restful night’s sleep?
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.
[Revised from February 25, 2017,
Banquet With The King blog]
Daily
Bible Reading: Nehemiah 1-5
©
2017 Text and photos by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All
scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.
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