“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” – Deuteronomy 31:6

“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Hebrews 13:5

Have you ever tried to put a baby to sleep and then leave the room? Whether you’re a mom, an older sibling or child care provider, you can probably relate to the following:

1. Child falls asleep peacefully in your arms after rocking, singing, feeding, bouncing, etc.
2. Child is transitioned to crib.
3. Child immediately wakes up after realizing you have abandoned them in their slumber
4. Begin steps 1-3 again until child falls asleep.

I’m always there

I have two children; both horrible sleepers unless they are snuggled up next to me. The ironic part of the whole, agonizing process of putting them to sleep is that I never really leave them. I’m always there, hovering,  watching, checking their breathing, making sure they’re not too warm or not too cold. Even when I’m in another room, I’m obsessively checking the baby monitor, listening to every subtle sound. The child doesn’t understand that. They think they are completely alone because they don’t see us or feel our warm bodies. They don’t understand that their bodies need rest, sweet slumber and that we are doing what is best for them.

Focus on the Provider

So much like our relationship with God. There we are, crying and carrying on, complaining that we want our Father. We yell that we can’t hear Him. We yell that we want out of our situation or that we know our own needs.

If we were just quiet for a moment, we might actually sense His presence. We might understand that He never leaves or forsakes us. We may feel His breath in the breeze or hear a quiet whisper in our hearts. Instead of focusing on our problems, we might focus on the Provider, understanding He knows what is best, and knows our needs even before we do.

Read also: where is your God now