Luke 22:39-46 
Then, accompanied by the disciples, he left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives. There he told them, “Pray God that you will not be overcome by temptation.”

He walked away, perhaps a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed this prayer: “Father, if you are willing, please take away this cup of horror from me. But I want your will, not mine.” Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him, for he was in such agony of spirit that he broke into a sweat of blood, with great drops falling to the ground as he prayed more and more earnestly. At last he stood up again and returned to the disciples—only to find them asleep, exhausted from grief.

“Asleep!” he said. “Get up! Pray God that you will not fall when you are tempted.”

The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Like the disciples, there have been times when I have closed my eyes in the pain of profound grief…and much to my surprise, sleep came.  Many of us know what it means to be “exhausted from grief”.  It is comforting, in a weird sort of way, to know that others have experienced this also – even Jesus’ disciples.  And because I know that Jesus grieved – and even prayed for God to take the suffering if it fit into His plans – I am comforted and encouraged.  I know that Jesus is with me when I grieve…that to a large degree, He grieves right along with me.

But there is a second part of this passage that is important.  Jesus prepared the disciples for what was next.  A few years ago, Timothy spent more than three months with us and his grandparents. The day before he returned to his family, who then lived in Texas, I held him and talked to him…”remember how much Aunt Debbie and Uncle Greg love you…I packed your 'God' books – tell your mother to read them to you every night…say your prayers – God loves you and He will take care of you…be a good boy and help your mommy…we’ll call you on the telephone and talk.”  Now, we stop most Sunday mornings and let “Grandma E” get out of the car near the front door of the church sanctuary, and then we take the children to their Sunday school classes. "Grandma E" will pause and look toward the little ones in the backseat and say, “Be good kids!”

At the Passover meal and in the Garden, Jesus gave His disciples instructions, to the effect of..."Carry a bag, some cash - and a weapon - so that people won’t think you are common criminals or beggars…pray that you will not be overcome by temptation…stay awake  (and alert to the devil's efforts to distract you!)"

So today, we consider the agony of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane on “Maundy Thursday” night.  We grieve for all that He had to endure…for us – the rotten, stinkin’ sinners for whom He suffered and died.  And we hear His words [paraphrased]…”be prepared…watch and listen…stay awake and pray with Me…remember how much I love you…we will talk – as often as you like!  Oh…and be good kids!”

It’s a lot to remember…and each of us has trouble consistently living up to all of these directives.  But when you start to falter, think of Jesus…on His knees in the Garden…sweating drops of blood…begging the disciples to stay awake and pray with Him one last night…and loving them anyway, just as He loves each of us.  How can we not do all that we can to uphold our end of things?

Isn’t this the perfect day to recommit our hearts to Jesus?  Will you share in Jesus’ grief…and allow Him to comfort you in whatever circumstances you are enduring?  Will you stay awake with Jesus?

©2015 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for August 21, 2013

Psalm 4:8
I can lie down and sleep soundly because you, Lord, will keep me safe.
 
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
 
The other night after her bath, our 2-year-old niece Zola got her favorite stuffed bear and sat down in a little wooden rocking chair… and she began to rock.  I watched her eyelids grow heavy and her head start to bob – and then she would jerk upright and start the process all over again.  I asked her, “Zola, are you getting sleepy?”  “NO!” came the instant, adamant retort!  But within a few minutes, her little head was almost in her lap, as she sank lower and lower and totally conked out in that chair.  I told Greg… “The rocking chair has done my work for me!”
 
I find it ironic that I can sit down to watch television and almost instantly fall asleep… but when I go to bed, I toss and turn for quite a while before I succumb to slumber.  Why is that?!  For a lot of us, bedtime is when we get still and quiet…but our minds continue to race.  We think of all we did… all that did not get done… what we have to do the next day/week/year…and more.  Even little children often find it hard to settle down and sleep.  In our case, they want “one more” - book, movie or TV show, glass of juice… anything that will keep them up and at ‘em a while longer.
 
For those of us who are older, the problem may also be trying to cram in one more activity before we sleep… but often, it’s more a case of some type of worry or busyness.  We are unable to shut down and relax, because the devil keeps tapping on our shoulder and saying, “HELLOOOOOOOO!!! What are you planning to do about such-and-such?”  He gets our mind reeling… and manages to keep it that way until we are so exhausted we can’t help but fall asleep… or so “wired” that sleep is completely out of the picture!
 
Can I be quite honest here?  I have actually tossed and turned at night thinking about whether I’m going to turn leftover chicken into a salad or a stew… and should I get up and check the expiration date on that package of whatever to determine if I need to use it first before I choose some other ingredient?!  I feel pretty silly the next morning when I think about it and tell myself, “There was no rush… it’s not like you were going to get up and cook a meal before you slept!”  And if you are honest, I bet you have let your mind run away with you about a thing or two at one point or another.
 
Let’s all take a collective breath and read this passage again…”I can lie down and sleep soundly because you, Lord, will keep me safe.”  I have found that one thing that helps me to fall asleep quickly and soundly is to pray.  I KNOW… sounds weird, huh?!  Now, I’m not saying that prayer is boring… or that talking to God puts me to sleep – in that way!  But what could be better than to fall asleep talking to God… to have conversation with Him as your last waking activity?  We say “night-time prayers” with our little ones… why do you suppose we do this?  Do you see that even without realizing it, we are preparing their hearts and minds – and their bodies – for perfect, sound sleep in the “safety” of God’s care?
 
When you think of the LORD keeping you safe as you sleep, don’t take this word so literally.  Imagine that He is handling your schedule… your worries… your frustrations and your fears.  God is the ultimate “Night Watchman” who handles everything… and knocks the devil off your shoulder… so that you can relax, refresh and renew - and REST peacefully. I don’t know about you, but that sounds pretty awesome to me!  Does this mean we will never toss and turn again… or that something is wrong with us if we do?  Absolutely not!  Everyone will have times when sleep eludes us… for a myriad of reasons.  But this is not God’s design - or His desire.  God wants us to experience His peace in all areas of our life… even when we are not awake.
 
So talk to God… thank Him for His amazing love and protection – and for the blessing of being able to sleep soundly in complete peace.  Like the little wooden rocking chair that swayed our 2-year-old Zola to sleep, God will take away our every burden and concern – and rock us gently in His arms.  Call on Him to do this.  Make your last words of the night a prayer to God.  Awaken refreshed, energized, calm and peaceful knowing that He heard you…that He guarded your every breath… and He is ready to help you face whatever the day will bring.  Rest well in the LORD… and sleep like His baby, because you are!
 
©2013 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for November 4, 2011

Psalm 127:1-2
If God doesn't build the house, the builders only build shacks. If God doesn't guard the city, the night watchman might as well nap. It's useless to rise early and go to bed late, and work your worried fingers to the bone. Don't you know he enjoys giving rest to those he loves?

Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.

I don’t know about you, but plop me in front of the television after dinner, and unless the show or movie is really compelling – or I have something to do with my hands, like folding clothes – I will often be asleep before the first sitcom ends! Yet when I go to bed, I toss and turn and am wide awake! My mind races and I think of all sorts of things… what I need to do the next day, what I must buy at the grocery store, wondering why I ate that ice cream and/or didn’t work out, and more. If something happens to be weighing on my mind – a concern or a problem – I find drifting off to sleep even more challenging.

For some, going to sleep is not the issue – it’s staying asleep! Some people wake up too early in the mornings – others wake in the middle of the night. But many find going back to sleep to be difficult, if not impossible.

If you are one of those who cannot fall asleep because your “worries of the day” are weighing you down, this passage is for you. If you wake in the night, and your mind starts to race and keep you up, this passage is also for you. The bottom line is that God wants us to rest. He wants to take our worries, cares, mental lists and the “video loop of our day” and handle all of these things for us… and we need to let Him.

“Oh, if it were only that simple!” you may say. It actually can be. The next time you find yourself wide awake, pray. Ask God to take whatever is on your mind and keeping you up and handle it for you. Then simply start to talk to God… to pray for others… to express your cares and your burdens. I find that often I am talking to God one minute, and the next thing I know, I’ve “prayed myself to sleep!” The worst that can happen is that you make good use of your awake time by communicating with God. And often, as you share your thoughts with Him, He gathers them up and handles them so that you can rest.

You might think this passage is telling you not to work so hard. There is nothing wrong with hard work. But this passage is about a healthy balance… and rest… and resting in the LORD. The latter is something we all need to do more often. God is better than Ambien, Lunesta or Tylenol P.M.! If you are trying to handle life without Him, you’re bound to be in for some sleepless nights.

How much have you made God a part of things in your life? Do you have a good balance of work and rest? Is He handling things for you on a regular basis? How well have you been sleeping lately?

©2011 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for October 26, 2011

Psalm 121:1-4
I look to the hills! Where will I find help? It will come from the LORD, who created the heavens and the earth. The LORD is your protector, and he won't go to sleep or let you stumble. The protector of Israel doesn't doze or ever get drowsy.

Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.

When I was a little girl, one of my favorite stories was The Elves and the Shoemaker by the Brothers Grimm. In this story, elves visited the shop of a very poor shoemaker and his wife each night and created beautiful shoes for them to sell. In return, the shoemaker and his wife made beautiful clothes for the little elves.

Haven’t we all wished we had elves to come in at night and do our work for us and make everything beautiful by morning? When I awoke today and looked across the fiery hillside below our house, I thought, “God was surely up all night!” It was as if He spent the entire evening with a brush and a palette of oranges, reds, yellows and more… painting away on the trees outside our back door!

But God is no magical elf! While He often works in the background…making things better for us as the elves did for the shoemaker and his wife… the wonderful gifts and blessings that God bestows on us create riches far beyond money and material things. And the power and might of our Heavenly Father are far above and beyond mere magic!

As I looked at the hillside and valley this morning, I thought of the first verse of this passage… I considered the strength and protection God bestows on me every day… and how He never sleeps (which reminded me of the little Grimm fairy tale!). I was humbled, and blessed, to see that God not only blesses us and cares for our every need… He does it with astounding beauty and finesse!

Today, I hope your “take away” from this passage is that God cares for us beyond what we could ever imagine. I hope you remember that He never sleeps. And one more thing… as the shoemakers gave the elves new clothing, we should give back to God as much as we can - to the best of our abilities. We should be so grateful for His abundance that we are eager to do all we can for Him in return. We can never repay God – and that’s not the point! But we can do our best to show Him how much we appreciate His amazing generosity.

Look around today – look “to the hills” and up at the beautiful trees and the colors of fall – and remember Who is up all night and day caring for each of us. Take time to thank God for His love and care… go about your day with confidence that He is in complete control… and know that all will be well.

©2011 Debbie Robus