NO BIBLE NO BREAKFAST DAILY BIBLE REFLECTIONS AND MORE

REFLECTION
Awake in safety is the theme for our reflection. To be awake means to stop sleeping and regain full consciousness. Safety means the condition of being protected from danger or injury. To be awake in safety means to regain full consciousness from sleep without any danger, harm or injury. We shall reflect on the fact that God is the protector of the vulnerable. In Psalm 3, David acknowledges God for protecting him from the hands of his enemies. Psalm 3 was believed to be written when he fled from his son, Absalom.

Dear friend in the Lord, God is the protector of the vulnerable. No matter how powerful you are, one of the fundamental needs of human beings that renders us most vulnerable is sleep. It is for this reason, David declared that “I lie down and sleep; I wake again because the LORD sustains me. ⁶ I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side. (Psalms 3:5-6). Beloved in the Lord, the striking similarity between sleep and death is that they both render us unconscious and vulnerable. For instance, Adam became unconscious and vulnerable when he became deeply asleep, “…the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. (Genesis 2:21). In the field of medicine, some surgeries are safely and properly done when the patient is made to lose total consciousness through sleep, we may however say that the patient becomes most vulnerable at this point of his or her life. Whenever we are asleep, anyone can harm us. Sisera was a Canaanite army commander and the enemy of Israel in Deborah’s time but became unconscious and vulnerable in the hands of a woman because he fell fast asleep. We are told “Jael, Heber’s wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died” (Judges 4:21). Sisera, the enemy of Israel was killed by a woman because he became most vulnerable in his sleep. Dear friend in the Lord, the key lesson David teaches us today is that we live in a wicked and unsafe world where the people you trust can harm you just as his own son Absalom rebelled against him, therefore anytime we wake up safely from our sleep, we must remember to acknowledge and give glory to God our protector.

It is interesting to note that there are many Christians who wake up without acknowledging the presence of God in their lives. When we become too comfortable in life the temptation to easily forget that our lives are in the hands of God our protector is high. Some of us only call on God when there is an accident or something unfortunate happens to us. If we understand how vulnerable we are when we are asleep we shall always spend a few minutes of our time to thank God for His protection and sustenance in our lives. Some people fail to acknowledge God for seeing them through their sleep because they put their trust in their state-of-the-art security system, bodyguards and highly trained security dogs. Unfortunately, there could be an enemy within all this security apparatus, a sad story was reported in Uganda when a government minister was shot and killed by His own bodyguard. The question is how safe are you even with all your wealth and security? It is a mirage to think that our wealth, money, power and all people surrounding us can guarantee our absolute safety. Let us always be reminded that “Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. (Psalms 127:1-2). We are greatly encouraged to put our trust in God and always acknowledge Him for His protection over our lives.

In summary, we have reflected on the theme “Awake in safety” We have discovered that we are awake in safety because God is the protector of the vulnerable. We must therefore continue to trust and acknowledge Him each day of our lives. Shalom.

PRAYER
1. Pray and thank God for His sustenance of your life and that of your family.
2. Pray to develop the habit of appreciation so that in all things you will learn to acknowledge God’s sovereignty and glory in your life.
3. Pray to God to protect you and your family from the plans of the wicked.
4. Let us pray for the peace of the Lord to reign in countries where people can’t sleep and wake up in safety because of war and instability.

Almighty God, we give you the glory and praise for all that you have done and continue to do in our lives. We acknowledge your protection over our lives both in our time of consciousness and unconsciousness. Dear Lord, forgive our ungratefulness and graciously abide with us each step of our journey in life. Amen.