by Rev. Aidan Moon

Rest Even in Impermanence

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking this SoundCloud link.

“I lay down and slept;
    I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
    who have set themselves against me all around.“

– Psalm 3;5-6, English Standard Version

A hammock is a place of both impermanence and rest.

When I was a backpacking camp counselor (these summer days my mind often goes back to that time of life) I spent many nights in a hammock, a place to rest that also allowed me to be up and on the move quickly again.

In Psalm 3, David is on the move. He is on the run from his own son – he has been betrayed, turned on, and has barely escaped with his life. Yet, he says, he still is able to lay down and sleep. Still able to stop, and rest. Sleep is a vulnerable time. Sleep, in general, requires a sense of stability and peace. In a time when anyone would be insecure, unstable, and afraid, David is able to lie down and wake again, trusting that God sustains him.

What is shaky and unstable in your life today? What uncertainties are you facing? Are you losing any sleep?

Our God is with you. He sustains you. May you still be able to find moments of rest, to just be, in times of instability.  May God be a refuge for you in times of uncertainty so that you might lay down and sleep in peace.

Copyright Family of Christ Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado