‘By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.’

   -Psalm 42:8 ESV

I was greatly encouraged by this verse recently. It had been quite some time since I sat down and spent some quality time with Jesus and this, in combination with being busy at work during the day and being kept awake by small children at night, left me feeling feeling fragile, weary, exhausted and easily frustrated. 

One morning last week, my children were being looked after by a close friend so I decided to use this time wisely; I sat down with a cup of tea, my bible and my journal and spent some much needed time with Jesus. I was led to Psalm 42 and verse 8 really struck me. It encouraged me immensely in that moment, when I was feeling fragile and weak, that the Lord of my life is with me always, day and night. He reminded me in that moment that he always there for me to lean into for strength – something I’d not been doing recently – and that all day long he pours out his love that is steadfast and good. 

That night, when my youngest was awake in the early hours of the morning, Jesus reminded me of the verse I’d read that morning – ‘at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life’. As I recalled those words in my head, I leant into God in my sleep deprived state and started to talk to him as I cuddled my little boy who was struggling to sleep. Rather than feeling the frustration rise up in me as I had done for so many nights previous, I felt peace and love wash over me. 

For the last few days, I have been reciting this verse in my head and it’s serving as a great reminder that Jesus is always there to lean into. I’m still exhausted but I somehow feel less fragile and less easily frustrated. Praise Jesus!