When my boys go to bed, I often sneak into their rooms late at night to watch them sleep and pray over their sweet little lives. There’s just something about the expressions on their faces that illicit feelings of peace and calm for me, and that’s when the same prayer runs through my mind every single time: “Lord, help me approach my faith with as much trust in You as JT & Audie have for Chris and I.”
They don’t worry about tomorrow.
They have no sense of panic and stress.
They aren’t lost in a daze of “what ifs?” or “I wonders.”
And they certainly don’t question if we’ll be there for them bright and early the next day to greet them with smiles, kisses and morning cuddles – which are non-negotiables. Lol.
Their ability to sleep like a baby amazes me. It’s total trust.
The other day I read Acts 12:6 and instantly pictured the serene faces of my sweet little boys.
“Then the time came for Herod to bring him out for the kill. That night, even though shackled to two soldiers, one on either side, Peter slept like a baby. And there were guards at the door keeping their eyes on the place. Herod was taking no chances!”
Talk about juxtaposition!
Death, yet life.
Bondage, yet freedom.
Injustice, yet peace.
Confusion, yet calm.
Uncertainty, yet contentment.
Anxiety, yet sleep.
His ability to sleep like a baby represented his total trust.
He wasn’t worried about tomorrow…
He had no sense of panic or stress…
He wasn’t lost in a daze of “what ifs?” and “I wonders”…
…all because he knew… and he trusted… and he held full confidence in knowing His God was near and that He would be there to greet him in the morning.
So how’d he do it? How’d Peter sleep like a baby under such dire circumstances?
The Bible spells it out in verse 5 in a powerful and simple way.
“All the time that Peter was under heavy guard in the jailhouse, the church prayed for him most strenuously.”
Ah yes, there it is. The glue to it all.
In the same way I pray over the lives of my boys, we too, as the body of Christ, are to uphold each other in prayer most strenuously. So that’s exactly what I’d love to encourage you to do today.
Spend a few minutes asking God whom He would like you to pray for. And as you’re praying, pray that such peace would cover their lives that they would experience life, freedom, peace, calm, contentment and restful sleep despite potential death, bondage, injustice, confusion, uncertainty and anxiety.
Pray they sleep… just like a baby.
