Every Breath You Take

Psalm 121:3-4, John 10:27-28

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Every breath you take and every move you make, every bond you break, every step you take, I’ll be watching you. Those words from a hit 80s love song by the police sounds so eerie when spoken, instead of bringing to mind thoughts of a romantic secret admirer. They maybe bring to mind the words of a stalker what he might say as he wants to pounce or do evil.

In Psalm 121, we hear these words in verse three and four,

He who watches over you will not slumber. Yes, he who watches over Israel will not slumber. He will not sleep. (Psalm 121:3-4 EHV)

Those too can sound very eerie. To know that God watches us and God doesn’t sleep. It’s eerie and terrifying, because we know who God is, that he is almighty, all powerful, he’s the perfect God of justice and he sees all. Nothing escapes him, even our sin.

But those words aren’t meant to be scary. They’re meant to be comforting. And we know this because verse three actually begins in this way.

He will not let your foot stumble. He who watches over you will not slumber. (Psalm 121:3 EHV)

God promises in his word that he will not allow our foot to stumble and that he is watching over us and that he doesn’t sleep. Might wonder what those words mean. Does it mean that we’ll never be in danger or that we’ll never experience any harm? Certainly, God does at many times protect us from physical dangers, but especially what those words are referring to is the spiritual dangers that threaten us. God is like a loving father watching his young three-year-old daughter on the playground at the park. He lets her go a little ways from him. He knows that there’s danger if she climbs up to the big kid toys. But he’s right there to catch her, if she should fall. Because he doesn’t want to lose her.

So it is with our God and our faith. He doesn’t want to lose us. So there’s many things that threaten our faith, many evil forces, even the devil himself, we think of all the temptations that he throws our way seeking to destroy our faith and tear us out of God’s arms. God says that he’s watching over us and he doesn’t sleep, he’s ever vigilant. Yeah there’s a lot of comfort that can be found, especially in Jesus own words, from John Chapter 10, where he says this.

My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. (John 10:27-28 EHV)

It’s a similar picture, isn’t it? That God isn’t going to allow evil forces, not even the devil himself, to take us away from him, to tear us out of his hands. That’s extremely comforting to know that God is always watching over us, that God is ever vigilant, that he doesn’t sleep. We know that we are God’s dear children by faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ. And we know that he isn’t going to allow the devil or any evil force to take that away from us, to steal our faith or to steal our eternal inheritance.

So we can take comfort in those words, take comfort that God does not slumber or sleep, but he’s always watching over us with his loving care. Let’s pray.

Dear Lord, we are grateful for your loving care and watchful eye. Forgive us when we have doubted you and have gone astray. Keep us close to you through your word and sacrament and remind us daily of your love and care. Amen.