24-7

He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps.

Psalm 121:3-4

You probably go to bed early on school nights so that you get at least eight hours of sleep. You need that amount of sleep in order to do your schoolwork well. But not all living creatures sleep that amount of time. A brown bat sleeps around 20 hours a day, but a giraffe may sleep as little as 2 hours a day. How much sleep animals and people need may vary by how active they are. A dog that is an only pet may sleep many more hours than a dog that plays with other dogs or works on a farm or ranch. An indoor cat may sleep many more hours than one who goes outside at night.

All animals and humans need some sleep, but God doesn’t. He doesn’t have a physical body that tires like ours do. Psalm 121 tells us that God doesn’t sleep. He is awake 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. He is always alert and always looking out for you.

That means that when you wake up from a bad dream in the middle of the night, God knows. If you are scared by a noise in the dark, he knows. If you don’t feel well, he knows. And he cares about all those things. As you lie in the dark, you can talk to him. You may even hear him speak to your heart or feel a sense of peace.

The middle of the night is a good time not only to talk to God but also to let Scripture or the words of a Christian song fill your heart and mind. The psalmist said, “Each day the LORD pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life” (Psalm 42:8). Perhaps the psalmist, too, had trouble sleeping at times.

It’s comforting to know that the heavenly King is always watching over you day and night. You can talk to him 24-7.

Next time you have trouble sleeping, open your Bible and read Psalm 42. Or read it now and see which verses stand out most to you.