Wednesday, June 2, 2021

Mid-Week Message - The One About Lullabies

 "Do not let your hearts be troubled.  You believe in God; believe also in me.  My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."  John 14:1-3  (NIV)

Do you know what I miss?  Among other moments from my daughter's childhood, I deeply miss bedtime.  I loved the whole routine of dressing her in her little pajamas, reading a story (that I had probably read so many times that I knew it by heart), tucking her in, saying prayers and singing her a lullaby.  There were two that she especially liked.  The first one everyone knows.  "Hush little baby, don't say a word."  But the other was one that I had made up for her when she was a newborn.  It's special because she is the only child it has ever been sung to and only by me.  Something that we share.  Just the two of us.  

Did either of your parents sing lullabies to you?  My dad sang to me.  It wasn't a song that most people would consider for a lullaby but, every time I hear it, I think how wonderful that this man loved me enough to sing to me.  I'll tell you what it was at the end of the message.  

Those bedtime songs do more than just lull little ones to sleep.  They are a reassurance of the parents' love and devotion.  It is a way to communicate that it is safe to sleep because someone is watching out for them.  

The last thing I do before praying as I close my eyes is to read some of God's Word.  Just as that little tune helps a little one rest easy, so the Lord's written message does for me.  It reminds me that He is in charge and that it is safe for me to sleep.  I know that His love will cover me and that when I awake, He will still be there.  

That is an assurance we all need.  There is more than enough going on in each of our lives to keep our hearts in turmoil twenty four hours a day.  We have no idea what is going to happen next.  Who could have imagined in 2019 that the year 2020, and even beyond, would be marked by a pandemic?  The uncertainty of what life may bring can be nerve wracking!  Except...we know the One that has always known.  He has already seen our future and plotted the way through.  When we are reminded that He is sovereign and there is absolutely nothing that can remove Him from His throne, then we can lay down our cares, lean into Him and find rest.  

One thing I am certain of is that as long as our lives continue on this earth there will be circumstances that can shake us to our core.  I also know though that it is not our Father's will for us to worry.  He is there to take our concerns to.  He always sees, always hears, and always cares.  I have had plenty of lonely days when I wished that there was another person around to talk to, to lean on, to share my tears.  Sometimes, that isn't a reality.  But there has never been a time when I was without my Lord.  

As you lay your head upon your pillow, rest in the surety of His presence.  There is no better lullaby than feeling Him near.  May your week be filled with His blessings.  

Oh, Daddy's lullaby?  Home on the Range.  


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