Suffering, Rest, and Protection

"I have a lot of enemies, LORD. Many fight against me and say,"God won't rescue you!" But you are my shield, and you give me victory and great honor. I pray to you, and you answer from your sacred hill. I sleep and wake up refreshed because you, LORD, protect me." Psalm 3:1-6


Over the last few months, I can honestly say that I've never known so much heartache happening around me. The heartaches have surfaced from those who suffer from different diseases that have forever changed the course of their lives or in some cases, taken their lives. The enemy in these cases is disease. The different reactions of each person facing this type of enemy vary in so many ways. Some pull out their shield and refuse to give up. Others have quietly gone off by themselves seeking stillness and solitude to cope with their pain and fears. In each of the cases each person has had a deep faith in God and/or was surrounded by prayer warriors petitioning for God's intervention for them. 


If you've ever had a good crying spell brought on by worry about someone you love and care about, you know the value of a restful deep sleep.  Somehow you awake in the morning refreshed and feeling a little better than you did the night before. For those few hours while you sleep, God takes all the pain and worry and handles it so that you have renewed strength and courage to face another day. I have a little plaque hanging in my home with this quote by Mary C Crowley that says,"Every evening I turn my worries over to God. He's going to be up all night anyway." I think there is some great advice in that little quote. Sometimes our burdens are just more than we can bear. We need that restful night's sleep to take us to a place where God is totally in control. We count on Him for every breath and when we sleep we truly hand our lives over to Him. One part of my prayer I recite before I go to sleep is telling God I am handing over the burdens from the day to Him.


On this earth, in this life, I don't believe we will ever be able to understand why suffering exists in so many ways. Why does a child die while another adult lives to be 100? Why do so many suffer? Only God has the answers to questions like these. So, on days like today when I wish I could wave a magic wand and cure all those on my prayer list, I have to trust in the psalmist words, "I pray to you, and you answer from your sacred hill. I sleep and wake up refreshed because you, LORD, protect me." Protection comes in many forms. Sometimes, as sad as it is, God takes away the pain and burden by carrying the afflicted home to be fully protected. I just have to trust that someday I will understand in a more profound way about this journey and that God will remind me of all the times He was there protecting me and all His children even when we couldn't see it or understand it.


Let us pray:


Protective and Healing Father,
Life is filled with people suffering in so many ways. As they and others call out to You praying for healing and courage to face another day, grant them restful nights where You carry the burdens for them. Give them strength to awake the next morning refreshed with the knowledge that whatever happens that day, you are there to protect them and watch over them and those they love.
Amen