*LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL*
_By Pastor Mensa Otabil_
 
Thursday 18th June 2026

GOD SUSTAINS US

Scripture Reading:* Psalm 3
 
I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me. *Psalm 3:5
 
Problems have a way of keeping us awake. When we are harassed with trouble, our minds do not find rest. Under extreme pressure, some people resort to all kinds of medications to induce sleep. However, David had a different experience during this time of unrelenting troubles.
 
He describes his experiences this way.
 
1. I lay down and slept.

 David was able to sleep in this time of crisis. He was not reckless; neither was he apathetic. He was able to sleep because he learnt to cast his cares on the Lord. Instead of crying to himself, David cried to the Lord. After pouring out his heart to the Lord, he found rest for his weary soul. As a little child sleeps away his griefs on his mother’s breast, so can we have rest when we make God our hiding place.
 
2. I awoke, for the Lord sustained me.

 When David awakened in the morning, he felt renewed. He had experienced a restful night, and now he felt strong to face the world. The morning was the most meaningful time of day for David, as it should be for us today. It was in the morning that he met with the Lord and worshipped Him. It was his time to pray, to sing and to be satisfied by God’s mercy.
 
He rested in God and got renewed – He said, ‘I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me. He slept through his troubles. That is a manifestation of the sense of peace that he had about the situation he was in.
 
Like David, we can also find rest and quietness in times of stress. We can trust the Lord to give us restful sleep at night. We can also trust Him to wake us up and feel refreshed in the morning.
 
When the Lord is watching over us by night, it serves no purpose for us to stay up. In the morning, when the Lord allows the bright rays of the sun to reach us, we must wake up with joy and gratitude for life.
 
Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I ask you for peace of mind and quietness of soul. Renew me every morning by your Spirit. In Jesus’ name, Amen