Boast In The Lord January 2nd, 2023
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I am a new father. My wife and I had our first son Caleb last October and like many new parents, we were tricked; during the first few months our baby slept perfectly. However, about 8 months in, Caleb began to have sleep regression. He is now 14 months old and has not slept through the night since. Yes, we did try every trick in the book. So far, we’re still trying!
Caleb’s lack of sleep has been overwhelming. If you’ve ever been sleep deprived, you know how it wears on you. My wife Julia and I became restless and began to doubt if God was hearing our prayers.
I don’t know what you are going through this season of life, or what you are restless about or perhaps may doubt God about, but I want to tell you that you are not alone. Our situation has not changed. Caleb is still not sleeping through the night, but now, our perspective has changed. We began to take a different approach to him being awake.
Each morning I have been reading Psalms over Caleb. And a verse I have read a thousand times struck me recently. I read it and kept rereading it. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.” I knew there was more to this verse than just being “perfectly still” in my body.
The command “be still” in Hebrew comes from the verb “rapha” which means “to let go”, “be weak”, “to surrender” or even “die to oneself”. In this specific place in Psalms, being still does not mean to be inactive. It doesn’t mean to give up on what we believe God has called us to do. It doesn’t even mean to wait for God to do everything Himself. We are to actively let go of our worries, acknowledge our own weaknesses, and surrender what we cannot control. We are to give whatever troubling situation we are going through to God’s sovereignty. We are to let go of our definition of God’s timing and the outcome we hope for; rather we are to trust that God is in control when we give up what we cannot control.
My wife and I realized that we needed to give up trusting in ourselves and our own ability as parents and learn an important lesson; Caleb’s sleeping situation is in God’s hands. He can take all of our restlessness and doubts.
I want to encourage you, whatever you are going through right now – actively let it go to the Lord. Surrender worries and struggles to the Lord who is in COMPLETE control. Instead of holding tight to a tough situation, give it to the Lord and spend time in prayer. Worship Him, thank Him, and remember what God has brought you out of.
No, Caleb is not sleeping through the night yet, but our perspective has shifted entirely, and we know that Caleb, his sleeping, and our worries are in the Lord’s hands. We have full confidence in God’s control of this situation. We finally understand what being still looks like and thank the Lord for His goodness in giving us a clear understanding of stillness and rest in our lives.
In the middle of the night, even when we are tired, we have great joy in the gift the Lord has given us in our son. The Lord is truly a Good Father. We trust that soon Caleb will be sleeping through the night as God watches over him.
Caleb’s lack of sleep has been overwhelming. If you’ve ever been sleep deprived, you know how it wears on you. My wife Julia and I became restless and began to doubt if God was hearing our prayers.
I don’t know what you are going through this season of life, or what you are restless about or perhaps may doubt God about, but I want to tell you that you are not alone. Our situation has not changed. Caleb is still not sleeping through the night, but now, our perspective has changed. We began to take a different approach to him being awake.
Each morning I have been reading Psalms over Caleb. And a verse I have read a thousand times struck me recently. I read it and kept rereading it. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.” I knew there was more to this verse than just being “perfectly still” in my body.
The command “be still” in Hebrew comes from the verb “rapha” which means “to let go”, “be weak”, “to surrender” or even “die to oneself”. In this specific place in Psalms, being still does not mean to be inactive. It doesn’t mean to give up on what we believe God has called us to do. It doesn’t even mean to wait for God to do everything Himself. We are to actively let go of our worries, acknowledge our own weaknesses, and surrender what we cannot control. We are to give whatever troubling situation we are going through to God’s sovereignty. We are to let go of our definition of God’s timing and the outcome we hope for; rather we are to trust that God is in control when we give up what we cannot control.
My wife and I realized that we needed to give up trusting in ourselves and our own ability as parents and learn an important lesson; Caleb’s sleeping situation is in God’s hands. He can take all of our restlessness and doubts.
I want to encourage you, whatever you are going through right now – actively let it go to the Lord. Surrender worries and struggles to the Lord who is in COMPLETE control. Instead of holding tight to a tough situation, give it to the Lord and spend time in prayer. Worship Him, thank Him, and remember what God has brought you out of.
No, Caleb is not sleeping through the night yet, but our perspective has shifted entirely, and we know that Caleb, his sleeping, and our worries are in the Lord’s hands. We have full confidence in God’s control of this situation. We finally understand what being still looks like and thank the Lord for His goodness in giving us a clear understanding of stillness and rest in our lives.
In the middle of the night, even when we are tired, we have great joy in the gift the Lord has given us in our son. The Lord is truly a Good Father. We trust that soon Caleb will be sleeping through the night as God watches over him.
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Posted in Boast In The Lord
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