Hope is born of knowing we are not alone, with no one to watch over us. As the Psalmist assured: “He that keepeth thee . . . shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper.”¹ How wonderfully reassuring it is to know that God, the Father of our souls, is in His heaven, watching over His children.
Think of the comfort small children find in knowing they are being watched over by their parents. They get the courage to climb all the way to the top of the playground ladder when they look over their shoulder and see Mom and Dad watching. At a school program, they stand a little taller after they sort through a crowd of faces and finally see the ones they love. And at home, as they snuggle into bed, they seem to fall asleep more peacefully when they hear the soft voices and tiptoes of their parents down the hall.
A young woman remembers being afraid as a child to go outside in the dark of early morning to care for her dog. But when her mother said that she would watch out the window, somehow the darkness was not so thick and the task not so daunting. She could do what she thought she couldn’t because she knew her mom would be watching.
Just knowing we are being watched over helps us face challenges and overcome fears—even as we grow older. If we can just remember that the Lord is the keeper of our souls, that we can count on His loving and watchful care, we can face any fear, deal with any difficulty, and do more than we may have thought possible. The great writer Victor Hugo advised: “Have courage for the great sorrows of life, and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake.”²
Program #4022
¹ Psalm 121:3–5.
² In Richard L. Evans, Richard Evans’ Quote Book (1971), 139.