Meditate on this:
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
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.
 |
| The wolf was watching me. I was watching the wolf. Show no fear. |
My
hubby and I took a road trip up to the mountains early this summer—all the
way to Mt. Rainier National Park. Along the way we stopped at a favorite camping
spot at Goose Prairie. We’ve seen plenty of elk, deer, chipmunks, raccoons and
a variety of birds, but on this trip I spotted a wolf—or maybe it was just a
coyote—a few hundred feet from where I was walking. I didn’t want that wolf to attack me. I showed no fear, just stood my ground and prayed. No fear. He walked away…and then disappeared in the woods, hopefully to
chase a mouse. 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. Trusting God is really what it is all
about. He has promised to keep the enemies and scary wild animals away.
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
In the
sunshine and beauty of the rugged mountains we felt the presence of Jesus on that
road trip. Being out in the wilderness reminds me of the complexity of God’s
creation, but 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. 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.
Daily
Bible Reading: Zechariah 10-14
© 2019 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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