Thursday, April 26, 2012

All The Time

"In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe."
Psalm 4:8

When we adopted our son Kevin, he was three years old.  How scary it was for him to go home with a family he had only met once and spent little time with.  I can remember sitting by his bed at night and holding his hand until he fell asleep.  I would tell him he was safe and try to reassure him when fear turned his dreams into nightmares.  Even though he struggled with many deeply seeded issues in his short life, I think he felt safe in our home and I take comfort in that when I look back on his life.  He died at the age of 25 from congestive heart failure after a virus attacked his heart.

I understood his fears surrounding feeling safe.  I have spent most of my adult life praying for God to keep me and my family safe, the country, the world.  There were times I needed a word from God to calm my fears.  This verse has given me great comfort over the years as I exercised my faith and worked at releasing my fears.

I am not one who likes to stay alone at night.  When Joel has to be gone overnight, this verse helps me to stay at peace when silence fills this big ol house.  I take comfort in it because it reminds me that I am never alone.  God is right here with me.  All the time.  He never leaves me.   

I had one woman with severe Lyme Disease tell me that she put a chair next to her bed to remind her that when she was so ill she could not get out of that bed, she was not alone.  Jesus was sitting on that chair comforting, encouraging, sustaining, and holding vigil with her.  

Are there fears that sometimes keep you awake at night?  Do you struggle with worry?  If you are looking for peace during those times,  remember you are not alone.  Jesus sits beside you holding your hand and calming your fears.  He is right here, right now.  All the time. 

All
The
Time



I am linking up to Spiritual Sundays.

15 comments:

Audrey Charles said...

How comforting to know that Jesus never leaves us nor forsakes us. What a Savior!

Elaine said...

Oh Renee, I'm so sorry for the loss of your son. How difficult that must have been.

I also suffer from fear when home alone at night. I get so terrified at times.... I am rarely alone tho, so I am thankful for that. I often just don't bother to try to sleep.... like that might change something???

I love that verse. I may write it out and keep it near me:)

Blessings to you today and always.

Merana Leigh said...

I, too, am so sorry for your loss Renee! I cannot even imagine. I have been away from blogland for a long time, but have missed it & couldn't wait to read Spiritual Sunday posts today.

Yes, this verse got me thru some very scary times indeed as well. I remember claiming it as a prayer many times when I was scared falling asleep in the house with my verbally abusive husband (now my ex), wondering if I'd be allowed to sleep through the night without facing a barrage. Jesus watched out for me then & has brought me to a far greater place where I still read this with the comfort of knowing He is ALWAYS with us! ~ Merana

Charlotte said...

Oh my, this really brought tears to my eyes. I'm also sorry for your loss but I'm so glad you brought peace to that little boy's life. Thank you for sharing your heart and for helping us remember where real peace comes from.
Blessings,
Charlotte

Gayle said...

Love this Renee. I am so sorry about your son.
I just finished reading the best book about a woman struggling with fears for her boys who were in the military. It reminded me how much I struggle with fears over my children as well. A meaningful faith filled post.
Blessings,
Gayle

Ruth said...

Hi Audrey, mustn't have been easy losing your son... but yes you rightly said it... through all the hard times or good times that we go through... we are never alone, for He is always with us.

Thanks for the reminder to be strong and keep the faith.

Love,
Ruth

Renee said...

Thanks for coming by Audrey...

Renee said...

It is a very comforting verse Elaine...You are not alone with this issue Elaine...for me it stems from childhood so has had a lot of time to settle in to my thought patterns. Still trying to change it and with God's help I am.

Renee said...

It is so true...Jesus brings us through so many hard and scary places...glad you found comfort in this verse and are safe now.

Renee said...

You are very welcome Charlotte....God bless you friend.

Renee said...

Thank you so much Gayle...

Renee said...

So true, Ruth. We are never alone.

Pamela said...

Oh, bless your sweet heart, Renee. Losing your son must have crushed your heart. How beautiful that you look to our Jesus for comfort. I, too, rest in this verse many nights. I like the thoughts of my sisters around the world claiming the same verse.

Alisha said...

I'm sorry Renee about your son. What a precious memory of being by his bedside when he was a young toddler.

Jocelyn said...

So sorry for your loss. We just lost my husband's mother and his aunt all in one week. It's a tough road to walk, but we are thankful that they are both walking the streets the gold.

Jocelyn @
http://justalittlesouthernhospitality.blogspot.com/