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Mysterious Ways: Bedtime Benediction

A nervous mom was reminded that she wasn’t the only one watching over her two daughters.

A mother tucks in her young daughter

I’m the kind of person who likes to be prepared for anything that might go wrong. Even on vacation, it can be hard for me to relax. One weekend, we rented a condo in the mountains, a getaway for my husband, our two daughters and me. As soon as we arrived, I made sure to walk through the place and pray for protection over every room.

That still didn’t stop me from waking with a jolt during our first night there. I opened my eyes.

Where am I?

I looked around the dark room, trying to get my bearings. Oh, right, we’re in the mountains…. I could tell my husband was fast asleep beside me. Then I thought, What about the girls?

Our daughters were sharing a bedroom on the other side of the condo’s main living area. If I was having trouble sleeping, they might be too. I quietly got up to go check on them.

The girls were sleeping peacefully. I returned to my bed, but I couldn’t get back to sleep.

They’re fine now, I thought. But they might wake up like I did. I should be with them.

Once again, I made my way across the dark condo to the other bedroom. This time I crawled onto the king-size bed, in the space between my daughters.

Maybe I’m being silly, I thought. The girls were 9 and 11. Too old to need me to sleep with them even if they did have a nightmare. Still, strange room. Strange place. It could be unsettling in the dark. I lay still, listening to the girls’ breathing, trying to decide what to do. Would they be all right if I went back to my bed?

A new thought interrupted my internal debate. A thought that didn’t come from me. Do you trust me to take care of them? What is more important: your presence or mine?

I had asked the Lord for protection. Now it was time for me to rest, trusting that he had heard my prayer.

I crossed the condo and slipped under the covers beside my husband, who was sleeping soundly. Soon I would be too.

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