Thoughts for the Day

I cry aloud to God,
aloud to God, that he may hear me.
In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;
my soul refuses to be comforted.
I think of God, and I moan;
I meditate, and my spirit faints.

You keep my eyelids from closing;
I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
I consider the days of old,
and remember the years of long ago.
I commune with my heart in the night;
I meditate and search my spirit:
‘Will the Lord spurn for ever,
and never again be favourable?
Has his steadfast love ceased for ever?
Are his promises at an end for all time?
Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has he in anger shut up his compassion?’
And I say, ‘It is my grief
that the right hand of the Most High has changed.’

I will call to mind the deeds of the Lord;
I will remember your wonders of old.
I will meditate on all your work,
and muse on your mighty deeds.
Your way, O God, is holy.
What god is so great as our God?
You are the God who works wonders.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Anyone who has lived with a small child knows they often wake in the night having had a nightmare, and need consoling before they can go back to sleep. However, night terrors don't just belong to children, many adults also have trouble sleeping when problems beset them or their family. They wake in the night with their mind racing and innumerable fears and fancies attacking their thoughts. Many of these would seem ridiculous in the daytime, but half-awake they seem perfectly sensible. The elderly who live alone worry about their family and who will look after them if they become ill; those without a job worry about paying the bills; those with children worry about the latter's future; those who are self employed worry about how the economy will affect their work; and many worry about the cost of putting on the heating. In the daytime we can keep some of our concerns under control, but in the night they can assume enormous proportions.

In Psalm 77 the psalmist cries out to God in his trouble, and in the night "his soul is troubled" and he even worries that God might not hear him. "Will the Lord spurn (me) for ever?" he cries, and "Has his steadfast love ceased for ever?". Finally he turns from his fears to think about God and all that God has done for him in the past, and is comforted.

When we experience night fears for whatever reason, and we can't sleep, then this is the time to follow the psalmist's example - turn to God in trust, and have a profitable conversation with Him. Try looking back over your life and thanking God for all He has done for you, alternatively pray for others in need and ask God's help for them. Start with the world situation, then narrow it down to your country, your village or town, and your family and friends. If you're still awake then ask God's help for your own concerns.

Lord God,
when I lie awake at night
and cannot sleep;
when it feels as though I
have the troubles of the world
on my shoulders;
and when you seem far away;
then help me to remember
your loving kindnesses to me
and to those for whom I pray.
Amen.