Monday 2 February 2009

Just recently I read a great description by a novelist of their view from the bed as they were dropping off to sleep. They described the muted colours on the walls, the light seeping in through the curtain from the streetlamp outside, and the silhouette of the cat on the windowsill, looking back at the author. Just then, the spell was broken, as they realised that it was not in fact the cat on the window-ledge - but a bowl of geraniums! Half-light plays tricks on our minds - and even ordinary things look strange and out of place. The mug we placed on a stack of books looks like a little person on the desk, and the pen jutting out like a weapon in his tiny hand.

Centuries ago, a night watchman was posted to watch over a tented encampment in the desert at night. His eye roved across the tents - so tiny and insignificant in the vast desert landscape. His gaze then climbed to the dark outline of the hills beyond, and he penned these timeless words:

I lift up my eyes to the hills - from whence comes my help?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.

Those words from the 121st Psalm have been recited by Jews, Christians and others down through the ages. They come as a reassurance that someone watches over us. They are a comforting reminder that when some things look strange, the presence of God is familiar and unchanged. To know that we are never truly alone is sometimes all it takes to quieten a troubled spirit.

Mind you - sometimes we would rather be left alone! When I was training to be a minister years ago, I used to have to spend one night a week at college. My room was a vey simple one- with one window overlooking the College car park, which caught the morning sun. Imagine my surprise when I awoke on the last morning of term to see the unmistakeable outline of Martin Luther sitting at my desk! A fellow student had removed the bust of Martin Luther from the common room, crept in during the night, and placed it in exactly the right place to catch the morning sun and give me the fright of my life. It certainly got my attention!

If things look out of place, if you are not seeing clearly, so that even familiar things seem sinister, its good to know someone's looking out for you. In the words of the old night watchman in the Psalm 'he who watches over you will neither slumber nor sleep'.