I can't sleep.............Praise God!

Psalm 63 (New International Version, ©2011)

 ⁶ On my bed I remember you;
   I think of you through the watches of the night. ⁷ Because you are my help,
   I sing in the shadow of your wings. ⁸ I cling to you;
   your right hand upholds me.

Do you ever have a hard time getting to sleep? On occasion, I wake up at 3 or 4am. I always have difficulty getting back to sleep. Sometimes I start thinking about all the tasks I have the next day. Many times, this happens when I have a big tournament to host, or several different events going on at the same time. IIt really can be furstrating be awake at 4am in the morning, wanting to go back to sleep. But, instead I am going through the day like it was already happening. 

 A few years ago, when this happened, I decided to just spend this special "awake time" praying. At first it was not easy. I lost concentration and would always drift back to thinking about the day ahead. But, the more I do it, the easier it becomes. Now when I wake up in the middle of the night, I naturally just use it to spend time with God.

I wonder if this is what David was going through? Obviously, being King, he had worries and stresses that kept him awake at night. But, "he thought of God through the watches of the night."  It can be a great time of quiet. It can be a great time of bonding with the King of the Universe. It can be a great time for God to speak to my heart. 

I can't say I look forward to waking up in the middle of the night. But, I don't dread it anymore. I'm not as frustrated. Maybe it's Gods way of getting my attention. Maybe he just longs to be with me and knows this is a time when he will get my undivided attention. So, "Praise God..........I can't sleep!"

Walking with God!

Psalm 48 (New International Version, ©2011)

 ¹² Walk about Zion, go around her,
   count her towers, ¹³ consider well her ramparts,
   view her citadels,
that you may tell of them
   to the next generation.
 ¹⁴ For this God is our God for ever and ever;
   he will be our guide even to the end.


Before I start, remember I ride a Harley. I love riding, sweeping turns, s-curves, and speed! But, I also enjoy a great leisure walk. I really don't take the time to go walking very often. But, when I do it is amazing what I can see. When you are traveling by four wheels or two, you just don't have time to appreciate all that is around you. My problem is, even when I go for a walk, I walk to fast to really enjoy it. I have developed such a fast walk, Stephanie says she feels like my little Amish woman. She is always walks about two or three paces behind me.

I need to slow down. When I do finally take a nice leisure walk, it is so therapeutic. I can take-in the trees, the grass, the animals, and the smell of the air. I can actually see things, not just the blur, as I speed by on my way to some scheduled event. God loves it when we slow down. He loves it when we can spend some slow/leisure time with him. WE need to spend quiet time enjoying his presence. We can't spend all our time just "Asking for stuff", we need to just chat quietly, thoughtfully, or not speak at all. God knows our heart. He knows we need quiet. He knows we need peace. He knows that he is the only real refuge in a crazy, hurry-up world!

Thank You Lord for providing us with peace. Thank you for quiet walks. Thank you for slowing us down so we can look at all you have created and blessed us with. You are great. You are awesome. We Love you! Amen!