My father had a bedtime routine that makes me smile to think about. He loved corn bread and buttermilk. (Can you guess that I was raised in a small West Texas town?) About ten o’clock each night, he would meander into the kitchen, crumble a piece of corn bread into a glass of buttermilk, and drink it.
He then made the rounds to the front and back doors, checking the locks. Once everything was secure, he would step into the bedroom I shared with my brother and say something like, “Everything is secure, boys. You can go to sleep now.”
I have no inclination to believe that God loves corn bread and buttermilk, but I do believe he loves his children. He oversees your world. He monitors your life. He doesn’t need to check the doors; indeed, he is the door. Nothing will come your way apart from his permission.
Listen carefully and you will hear him say, “Everything is secure. You can rest now.” By his power you will “be anxious for nothing . . .” and discover the “peace . . . which passes all understanding” (Philippians 4:6–7 RSV).