When you lie down, you will not be afraid; Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet. ~Proverbs 3:24
On an early morning safari in Kenya, at Lake Nakuru National Park, we spent over an hour observing this beautiful herd of white rhinos. They were magnificent. The three of us in our safari vehicle were in awe...and snapping away photos like crazy! The longer we stayed in our one spot, the more relaxed the rhinos became in our presence & we were able to observe many of their different behaviours. We finally realized just how relaxed they were when one decided to lie down & rest. They were not afraid that we would harm them.
Likewise, the lions in the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania. After a long night of hunting & a long morning of feasting they must sleep. Lions have few creatures to fear, except perhaps humans but maybe in their case exhaustion wins out over fear. Our (secure) safari jeep was within 10 feet of this napping beauty and she barely gave us a second glance. Probably thinking "Just go away already so I can sleep."I used to be afraid to be alone at night. Every noise, creak or thought haunted me. Sometimes I would put a chair in front of the bedroom door & make sure my shoes were right beside my bed in case I needed to run. (where to, I don't know?) Finally, I started to write up verses from the Bible about being safe in my sleep. I taped them directly beside the bed so I could see them at all times when I was lying in bed. They were a great comfort to me! And they have managed to stay in my head year after year. Oh maybe not the exact verse but the theme is always there. God is there, while we sleep, we have nothing to fear. So just relax and go to sleep!
Thanks again for yet another wonderful entry... makes me think of one time Miles and I camped down at Sun Valley (3 hrs south of here)... we were in a tiny tent and we heard a GREAT crunching and snapping outside - we were sure there was a huge creature outside... and discovered it was a deer, eating of the tiny apple tree outside our tent. We also had racoons come as well... sounds a lot noisier than it really is!
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures! They make me want to go to Africa.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea if having bible next to you while you sleep. I am the same way especially if I am alone at night. I always hear everything. Even last night we had some storms that came through and it was just the wind that woke me up at 2am. Doug asked how does that wake you up. He didn't hear a thing. So of course I had to turn on the weather channel to see what was going on.
So maybe I should find some verses to put by my bedside for a peaceful sleep.
Love those safari pics! What an awesome trip!
ReplyDeleteAs for fear... it's interesting to hear others have similar feelings.
I used to hate it when my first husband would go away hunting (deer season) for a few days. After he died, I was petrified to sleep alone. I heard every creak in the house. My imagination would run wild.
My husband Jim sometimes travels for work, and I still don't like being alone. But I've come to realize that I'm never truly alone. No matter what happens, I can rest secure because I 'm safe in the arms of Jesus.
You're so right about God's Word. Quoting or reading Scripture puts our fear into proper perspective.
Thanks for the comments friends!
ReplyDeleteBarb - I had a similar "scary sounds outside my tent" night in Africa. They hippos were munching the grass directly beside me in the night. It was terrifying & exhilerating at the same time!
Janice, there are lots of great 'comfort & peace while you sleep' verses in Proverbs & Psalms. It truly did comfort me when I was afraid!
Susan, I was once married to a man that worked a lot of shift work (police) and so I was alone at night A LOT & always nervous. I had to find a way to solve it, the way was God's promises!