"If I Should Wake Before I Die"

The story is told about a young boy who was saying the words of the following well-known bedtime prayer after being tucked into bed by his mom:

“Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray Thee, Lord, my soul to keep;
If I should die before I wake,
I pray Thee, Lord, my soul to take.”

When he came to the line “If I should die before I wake,” he got mixed up and said, “If I should wake before I die.” Sad to say, many people around the world lay their heads on their pillows at night without being sure of the destiny of their souls should they die before they wake, while others have so much anxiety about the next day, that they would prefer to die before they wake. Family problems, emotional difficulties, or employment layoffs, make them wish they would be taken out of this life before the morning sun forces them to face another agonizing day.

Beloved, this does not have to be our experience. By placing our complete trust in the Lord (Proverbs 3:5-6), we can close our eyes at night with the assurance that the problems of tomorrow will not be greater than the God who holds tomorrow. Yes, we can fall asleep with the confidence that we are in God’s care (1 Peter 5:6-7). We can have the certainty that whether we die before we wake, or wake before we die, all is well.

“He does not lead me year by year
Nor even day by day.
But step by step my path unfolds;
My Lord directs my way.

Tomorrow’s plans I do not know
I only know this minute;
But He will say, “This is the way,
By faith now walk ye in it.”

And I am glad that it is so,
Today’s enough to bear;
And when tomorrow comes, His grace
Shall far exceed its care.

What need to worry then, or fret?
The God who gave His Son
Holds all my moments in His hand
And gives them, one by one.” (source) —Barbara C. Ryberg

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets