Sent: Tuesday, December 04, 2001

Subject: Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

Dear Ethan & Emily:

As a child, I remember saying the prayer, “Now I lay me down to sleep.  I pray the Lord my soul to keep.  And if I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.” 

I was reminded of this as I was reading in Deuteronomy this morning.  This is such a great book and reveals so much about God’s nature.  You will note that I often take passages from Deuteronomy as the basis for my devotions with you.

This morning, I would like you to remind you that as we place our full trust in God, we can rest in the assurance that He will take care of us…and that includes everything…where we go during the day and even where we sleep at night.

As the Israelites were preparing to cross the Jordan River into Canaan, Moses reminded them:  “Don’t be afraid!  The Lord your God is going before you.  He will fight for you…God cared for you again and again here in the wilderness, just as a father cares for his child.  But even after all He did, you refused to trust the Lord your God, who goes before you looking for the best places to camp, guiding you by a pillar of fire at night and a pillar of cloud by day.” (Deut. 1: 29 – 33)

As we face your Mother’s surgery today, let us trust our Lord and be comforted that He is attending to us as though we were a small baby…aware of…and providing for…everything we need.  As we follow Him, He demonstrates His love for us by leading and directing our steps.  And we can be at peace knowing He is always at least one step ahead of us…to protect us and to make sure our needs are met.  We can relax, knowing that He has already even determined where we will sleep tonight.

What a wonderful God!

Sending my love as I commit your mother to God and trust Him to take care of her,

Dad