I woke up at 5 am this morning and couldn’t get back to sleep.
My mind was full of projects, restless ideas, hopes unfulfilled, and dreams longing to materialize. How do we navigate this path from mind to heart to hands, and tailor the translucent fabric of faith into tents of righteousness?
In the early morning light, I settled onto the sofa with ancient words that sustain the saints and breathe hope over generations, a promise to those who feed the hungry and love the broken:
“You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
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Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.”
Isaiah 58:11-12
The faithful work of living the gospel makes space for God’s people to dwell in peace.
One by one, my children emerged from their bedrooms wiping sleep from their eyes. They took the places closest to me, resting heads and bodies against mine. I am their place of peace, my presence helps them ease into the day, and accept the task of waking to a world full of uncertain prospects.
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I ran my fingers through their hair, my memory trailing back to tiny sleeping bodies resting in my arms. In the early morning stillness, I used to rock infants and memorize the curl of cowlicks and the turn of ears. I studied eyelashes and traced their mouths with my eyes, storing away love in the deep places of my soul.
Treasures lie in these kinds of quiet places. In the stillness, the constancy of divine threads bind us to God’s will to rebuild and restore His kingdom.
In many different ways today, people will minister to neighbors, pray for the weak, extend their hands to the needy, and call out to the faithful with encouragement. These merciful acts of love trace our memories, and yesterday and today become links in the chain of God’s eternal plan for the redemption of the world.
It’s been hours since I woke up, and years since God awakened my soul. I don’t know how long it will be until I am able to sleep again.
I lay my soul against His body and ease myself into the uncertain prospects of this broken world. He is my place of peace, and after the labor is done I will find rest in His love.
A new day has begun in Him again. It is full of mercy. The path is cleared for us, and the way has been made clear by His sacrifice.
We have only to follow His lead….
