Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep
Pictures capture moments in life that could otherwise be forgotten. They are precious snapshots. I’m particularly drawn to the picture of Bible Study Brother and I asleep in the same bed. We’re snuggled in the bed underneath a quilt that was probably sewn by our great grandmother.
This photo had to be taken circa 1988. In the days before every camera was a phone, you had to use a camera that was loaded with film. You looked through the viewfinder to frame the perfect shot, and you weren’t sure of what you had until the pictures came back. We had to wait for them to be developed. A one hour turn around for a printed photo was unheard of. Patient was a virtue and your only choice.
The cameras of today could likely take a clearer photo, but I love this image. Two kids completely at rest without a care in the world. We were at peace, however the picture does not show what it likely took to get us both at rest at the same time. Nighttime was my friend. My eyelids would lower as the sun set. Sunset was just a reminder to Bible Study Brother that the party was about to begin. He has always been a night owl. The dark couldn’t hold him down. Yet somehow there is physical evidence that we both managed to rest at the same time.
As a kid, the routine was established that I would say a simple prayer before bed each night. You may or may not be familiar with it. It goes like this:
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.”
Short. Simple. To the point. It got the job done. And I would fall asleep immediately after saying those words. My rest was secured. My prayers are much different now, but the result is ultimately the same. I find rest and comfort when I put my petitions before the Lord.
Unfortunately, my rest does not come as instantly now as it did then. I toss and turn with impatience. Man, I put my petition out there, and I want results rapidly. I don’t want to wait. I do not have time for God’s perfectly framed picture to develop. But the reality is that I do have time. In this season of my life, I’m learning to rest in God. I could spin my wheels and be agitated or say my prayer and let the Lord keep my soul. I’m choosing to lie down. #wepreach
