When your own family member, or one of your close friends turns on you, assails you and/or strikes you down in some way--knifing you right under the ribs, so to speak, with words or other unpleasantly intent actions that still seem very much like brute force; what do you do? What can you do?
Run for your life?
This is what happened to King David and was his solution to escaping his foes. He fled, on fleet foot!
His son Absalom was after him. He'd affected a rather successful coup (for a while). He'd won the hearts of the people and even one of David's key advisors. This was betrayal at the hands of family and friend.
David trusted the LORD though. He said the LORD was his,
"...shield around him" (Psalm 3:3)
and when he calls out to the LORD, the LORD,
"...answers him from His holy mountain" (vs. 4).
He can then,
"...lie down and sleep...because the LORD sustains him" (vs 5).
Not only that, he,
"...wakes again" (vs. 5).
A major blessing. No one got him in the night despite all his ubiquitous opponents clambering for his blood.
David knew to Whom to turn; his LORD, his God, his Deliverer in Whom he could one hundred percent trust.
"He faileth not" (Zephaniah 3:5 - KJV)
Father God, Thank-You that You can be trusted one hundred percent. You never leave, nor forsake, nor harm. What You do is always good and for our good.
We remember that Your Son Jesus was also betrayed by one of those men who was close to Him; Judas Iscariot. Then the religious leaders of Jesus' day on Earth, who should have known better, were plotting to arrest and kill Him. Judas the Betrayer played right into their hands and they got their wish.
Jesus was not delivered from this despite His cries to You. David was delivered from his foes, though. However, Your plan was much bigger than our scope can encompass. Jesus' death upon the cross was for the deliverance of all mankind from the penalty of sin: i.e. death and Hell.
We praise You glorious Father!
Now when followers of Jesus Christ "sleep in Jesus" we can do so in complete confidence that when we wake, we will be "with Christ". We can have resurrection because Jesus resurrected on the third day. We have that sure hope of going to be with You forever and over in Your eternal Home.
As we remember all Jesus' death and resurrection has accomplished for us, may we partake of the broken bread and drink of the cup of wine, with solemn joy and gratitude for all He has done for us: deliverance from the clutches of the evil one who only wants to steal, kill and destroy; and from the consequences of our sins, and so much more.
And You grant us our peaceful sleep: whether that's our nightly rest; or "sleep in Jesus" or to know we have peaceful afterlife life with You, forevermore. In whatever circumstance of "sleep," we can confidently say, "Good night, sleep tight" as we will certainly, "rest in peace" even if we have been betrayed by our nearest and dearest on earth. These are bold words, Father; help us all to live up to them with Your strength.
In Jesus' precious name I give thanks for Your many blessings which are always upon Your people.
~ERC September 2020~
Based on Psalm 3:1-8
Sing, Asleep in Jesus along with the Jordanaires.
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