As High as the Heavens are Above the Earth

A few nights ago, my daughter, who at times struggles with sleep, woke up in the middle of the night. It had been a weary day for me and I was hoping for some sound rest. I’ve come to find out however that my baby’s cry can overcome my deepest sleep and is no match for my most intense exhaustion. I hear her and all sleep fades. So it was on this particular day.

I waited for some time to see if she might ease back into sleep. When she persisted in crying, I staggered from my bed and into her room. I attempted to lull her back to sleep and as I held her, I wondered if God hears His children in the way I hear my daughter’s cry. Do my tears grip His attention in a like manner? Does He rush to check on me when my cries rise up to Him? This midnight scene in my daughter’s room seemed a fitting analogy for God’s own care for His children. But for some reason, I couldn’t think of the Scripture that would settle this as true in my mind. I let the thought go and proceeded to soothe my daughter to sleep.

Hours later, dizzy with tiredness, and still holding a sleepless toddler, I decided that it was time to quit. The loving mother had hit her limit; I placed her in the crib and left the room – thankfully, I heard no crying! As my head hit my own pillow, something suddenly made sense. My expression of love for my daughter – while there might be some small parallels – is miniature when compared with God’s love for His children. The scale is simply not the same. As much as I love my daughter, I fail, I tire, and I even give up. But God is God! He never sleeps nor slumbers (Psalm 121:4) nor lacks for anything. He is perfect in His power and perfect in His love for and commitment to His own. Psalm 103:11 states: “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him.”

I have had moments of deep sorrow in my life and was like a restless child crying in the night. The LORD heard me and He came near. He encouraged me with His Word and comforted me with His presence. He did not leave me. I remembered God’s great love as I laid in bed that night. And just as sleep came to silence these thoughts, the Scripture I had hoped for earlier suddenly came to mind: “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!” Isaiah 49:15.