MEDITATION: Psalm 3:5 by Alan J. Hommerding

From Everyday Psalms

I lie down and sleep;
I wake again, for the Lord sustains me.

Scriptural tradition holds that David wrote this psalm while he was fleeing from his son Absalom and other enemies.  Even in this time of trail (“stress,” we’d call it today), David doesn’t lose any sleep.  His trust in the Lord’s sustaining power is such that it allows him to sleep while enemies are in pursuit, and he also realizes that divine power is what allows him to wake each day.  Does our faith allow us to slumber peacefully?  Or are we kept awake wondering how we (not God) will handle the trials of our life?

 

PRAYER

Keep me confident
in your sustaining power, Lord.
Refresh and strengthen me
so I may face each day renewed by your love,
and act according to your will.

 

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LIVING THE PRAYER

Today I will resolve a troublesome spot in my life by turning it over to God.

What stressful situation am I facing today?  Without caving in to irresponsibility, how can I find ways to combine faith in God with responsible and effective means of dealing with life’s circumstances?

THE NEW TESTAMENT SINGS

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and true image of God,
sustaining all things by his powerful word.
(Hebrews 1:3)