I am not an early-morning person.  I have some family members who are, but that would never describe me.  I function much better late than early, so if extra time is needed to handle some responsibilities, I will tack the additional time at the end of my day rather than the beginning.

I can wake up early, if need be.  Say for a fishing or hunting trip, a hike, a metal-detecting excursion, or some other outdoor adventure.  But normally I would not choose to crawl out of bed before a seven is registered on the clock.

Consequently, it is always eye-opening when I am awake early and out-and-about to see how many others are up before the crack of dawn, and clearly are routinely early risers … often by necessity.

Earlier this week, my wife and I needed to be up in Seattle for a follow-up surgery on her eye.  (Her sixth – and God-willing, final – one!)  Her assigned check in at the hospital was at 6 a.m., so we were up and going at “0-dark-thirty.”

It’s remarkable how many people in a larger city are circulating in the wee hours of the morning!  On my caffeine run to a 24-hour convenience store before our commute, there was the clerk … AND a delivery truck driver … AND others getting their fixes before heading to work.  A police cruiser rolled by as I returned to my vehicle.  The freeway was filled with folks flying north or south to their jobs. (Not as filled as it would be later at a more decent hour, but filled sufficiently nevertheless.)  The hospital was buzzing with activity as personnel carried out their various responsibilities. 

There’s a lot of people up early doing what they need to do!  Those of us who prefer to sleep a bit later into the morning sometimes fail to recognize the many folks who start their days … or end their nights as the case may be, while we are embracing our ZZZs.

But they all have to sleep sometime!

Sleep isn’t just a luxury; it’s a necessity.  The human body must sleep.  It doesn’t take long for lack of rest to severely impact a person’s well-being.  Just 24 hours without it can result in irritability, altered perception, memory deficits, impaired judgement, vision and hearing setbacks, decreased hand-eye coordination, an increased risk of accidents, greater muscle tension, and even tremors.

Add just another 12 hours to that, (36 hours without sleep), and one’s body is significantly affected.  Appetite, metabolism, temperature, mood, and stress level all take hits, creating issues with hormonal imbalances, decreased motivation, inflexible reasoning, decreased attention and risky decision-making. Sleep deprivation can make routine tasks like driving exponentially more dangerous. (www.healthline.com).

Which is why we all sleep.  Why we all HAVE TO sleep.  In fact, we humans actually spend a third of our lives sleeping!

Consequently, the concept of our God never sleeping is challenging for us to grasp. 

But he doesn’t!  The Lord never crawls under the heavenly covers and “crashes.”  He never sneaks in a “cat nap.”  He never accidentally nods off for a moment.  He never intentionally “shuts it down.”  He never even closes his “eyes!”  Never, ever!  We’re told in Job that God “views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens” (Job 28:24).

Not only does our God never rest.  He never loses his concentration; his mood is never altered; his perceptions remain unphased; his perfect abilities continue unhindered. 

Furthermore, the Lord never ceases to be vigilantly watching over us and acting on our behalf!  God’s unwavering attention is riveted on his people; his loving heart, guiding hand, and providing and protecting arm are always engaged in the goings-on of our lives.  “The eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them …” (Psalm 33:18-19).

So while our Lord never sleeping is a challenging concept to grasp, it is at the same time tremendously comforting.  We are continuously guarded and guided by the Loving One who never sleeps.

The psalmist summarizes this truth beautifully!

I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD watches over you — the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm — he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore” (Psalm 121).