0
0
I grew up on Shel Silverstein books, A Light in the Attic was one of my favorites, occasionally one of his poems will pop back into my head at random. Today it was the Prayer of the Selfish Child. Do you remember that one?
“Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep,
And if I die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my toys will break.
So none of the other kids can use ’em….
Amen.”
― Shel Silverstein, A Light in the Attic
And for whatever today that poem popped into my head right after reading Psalms 4:4 NIV
Tremble and do not sin;
when you are on your beds,
search your hearts and be silent.
Psalms 4:4 NIV
The Amplified version adds some nuance
Tremble [with anger or fear], and do not sin;
Meditate in your heart upon your bed and be still [reflect on your sin and repent of your rebellion].
Psalms 4:4 Amplified
The Prayer of the Selfish Child stands out, a greedy, angry child stewing in entitlement and deeply invested in material items. They want what they want. As fallen humans, we are guilty of taking sin, selfishness even anger to bed with us at night. Our time in bed should not be time to stew on the failures of the day or bully ourselves, we ALL fall short of the Glory of God. Can I get an Amen?
I often wake up in the middle of the night with something on my mind. A problem I am committed to solving at that very moment from the comfort of my cozy bed with the least effective method known, worry. I bet the selfish child in Silverstein’s poem woke up too. Worried, what if they did die and God didn’t answer their prayer to break all the toys, what if the other children got them? It sounds silly but often I struggle with a similar sentiment. I mean what would happen if I stopped fretting? Would gravity break? Would all the oxygen in my home be sucked out into the atmosphere? Thank God, I am not in control.
Use that time before falling to sleep to reflect, repent and pray. Prayer is a powerful tool, a weapon, and the Lord listens to our prayers go back one verse to see the proof in Psalms 4:3 it tells us just that!
Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant for himself;
the Lord hears when I call to him.
Psalms 4:3 NIV
Do not go to sleep worried about the weight of the world, cast your fears, anxiety, anger, frustration away in prayer and petition. Rest confidently that God is in control and that He hears your prayers. Do not allow anger to rule the night, accept the Lord’s offering of peace through Him. Who cares if your toys break?
Lord thank you for your Word, your love, patience, and mercy. Forgive me Jesus for reaching for worry, as a child reaches for their favorite toy. There is no real comfort or security to be found there. The comfort and security I seek can only be found in you, Lord. I use this day to serve my King. Amen