“I lay down and slept;
I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around.”
—Psalm 3:5-6 ESV

I don’t usually have trouble sleeping at night, but if I were surrounded by thousands of enemies set on ending my life, I think I would have a hard time just closing my eyes.

Now, David wrote Psalm 3 when he was fleeing from his son Absalom, who was seeking to violently overthrow him as king. There were some who were loyal to David, but his son had a much larger force at his disposal.

David and those with him had set camp for the night, and for all they knew, it could very well be their last.

But in these verses David explains some key information:

This isn’t his first time being surrounded by enemies.

And just as God delivered him before, he is confident that he will do it again.

Why be afraid of people when the Lord of all creation is on your side?

When we, like David, realize that God is the one who guards us, we will be able to find peace even in the most dire of circumstances.

The kind of peace that lets us sleep at night and breathe easy in the knowledge that God is fighting on our behalf.

Here is a short prayer to help you invite God into every moment of your day:

Inhale: You are with me, God.
Exhale: I can rest.