Is God awake at night?
He will not let your foot slip - he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
Psalm 121:3-4 [NIV]
The word slumber is not really used very much today. What is the difference between slumber and sleep? Thanks to Google (and some carefully filtered results), I learn that slumber is a very light state of sleep, perhaps the precursor to being fully unconscious or asleep. When we slumber, we are likely to not be fully asleep – sometimes I am tired and watching TV or a film and find that my eyes shut and I am drifting into "slumber" – apparently this happens to a few other people my age too!
Sleep is essential for good health, and the human body needs enough of it to keep going and gain strength. Regardless of the exact meaning, it is helpful to know that God is never in either state, and that we are "watched over" just like Israel was in the times of David, the author of this Psalm. In the same way as an army (like David's) would make sure that some of the men kept watch while others slept, so it is comforting that God has "got your back" day and night – he is not bound by a human body, and therefore can keep watch day and night.
Verse 3 talks about God not letting "your foot slip". I am never going to be a mountaineer, as I don't like heights – but I guess the secret is to look up and not down. The time to look down is when you are at the summit. Why do we find our feet sometimes slipping? Perhaps it is because we have our eyes on the prince of the earth and not the King of Heaven.
Lord, help us to be sure-footed as we seek and follow you.
Dave MacLellan
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