Passage
“I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.” — Psalm 4:8
Reflection
When the light goes off, everything looks different. The things you know well during the day, your clothes hanging up, a stuffed animal on the floor, look like something else at night, and your heart starts beating faster. It’s normal to feel that way. Even King David, who wrote these words, knew what it was like to be afraid at night.
But David discovered something he wanted to tell everyone: he didn’t need to see in order to be safe. He needed to know who was with him. That’s why he wrote that he could lie down in peace and sleep soundly, not because the darkness had disappeared, but because God was still there, watching over him, even when his eyes couldn’t see him.
In another psalm, David says something similar: “yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me” (Psalm 23:4). He doesn’t say he’ll never be in a dark place. He says that even there, he isn’t alone. God doesn’t leave when the light goes off. He stays with you all night, watching over you while you sleep, even when you don’t notice it at all.
Prayer
God, sometimes I get scared when everything is dark. Thank you that you see me even when I can’t see you, and that you stay watching over me all night. Help me sleep peacefully, knowing you are here with me. Amen.