“He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your Keeper. The Lord is your shade at your right hand.” (NKJV)
A few days ago, I woke up hearing the words of a popular praise song playing over and over in my spirit. There was a refrain which went: “It’s the fire that never sleeps, the fire that never sleeps”. I felt led to open to Psalm 121, and the Lord spoke to me through it, assuring me that whatever is going on around us, He is not unaware. He is not being silent or complacent because He is the mighty One who never slumbers or sleeps!
Dear friend, Almighty El Shaddai is the one who “keeps” you. It is He who protects and watches over you, holding you within the safety of His eternal hands. He is your supernatural “Keeper”, this glorious One who never sleeps! He is assuring you that He is with you, and know about every situation you are facing. He is aware of everything going on around you, and He knows what is necessary to bring a shift. He is awake and observing, working behind the scenes, commissioning His angels to step in and intervene. The verses after the ones quoted above say: “The Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve you from all evil. He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forever more.”
It is so powerful to know that we are not alone, entreating a disinterested God who is far away! Jesus said to His disciples in John 14:18 that He would not leave them as orphans, fending for themselves. He has promised to be with us always, and to never leave us (Hebrews 13:5), and He is with us in a very real and supernatural way. This is something we can choose to do – to live in the shadow of His wings (Psalm 91:1). It is a place of shelter under His mighty hand, a place that is shielded from every natural or unnatural situation. In these verses, the Lord is undertaking to cover you forever. He is present to protect your body and soul, and to keep you safe in the presence of evil. He is your Keeper!
Abba God is the One who “keeps” Israel, His chosen nation. He is also the Keeper of the nations of the world. I believe He is assuring us, His Blood bought ones, that our nation is in His mighty hands. There is nothing happening on the face of the earth today which is a surprise to our Lord. He is the ultimate answer to every challenge, and He promises to preserve and protect us in every part of our daily lives, in our going out and coming in.
Friend, Lord Yahweh is the Fire that never sleeps! In Zechariah 2:5, He says to the people of Jerusalem about their city: “I will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.” We can claim the same promise today, and see it fulfilled and made real because of the powerful blood of Jesus. Our Savior King laid down His life, so that we would not have to live in fear and anxiety, distressed and defeated by the events of this world. He – the Fire that never sleeps – became our Protector, our shield, the One who loves us and lives in us by His Spirit. This is the awesome truth: now that this endless Fire lives in us, our spirits are alive and always awake, filled with the source of all power! We can be aware of the Fire within us 24/7, and never be dismayed! There may be many uncertainties in our lives today, but there are some things we can be certain about: that we have a supernatural connection with Heaven, and that we have a Father, a “Keeper” who has carved our names on the palms of His mighty hands. He is the Ancient of days, the One who always was and always will be, who gave His only begotten Son as a sacrifice of love, so that we can overcome fear and uncertainty, and walk in our purpose and destiny. He is our powerful Prince of Peace, and He says to us from Isaiah 54:17 today: “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord.” Jesus never promised that we would not have challenges and difficulties, but He did promise that His ever-burning fire in us would overcome!
Take courage, precious one, and know that the tide is turning. Abba is on your side. During the day, or in the deepest night, the fire of the Holy Spirit fills and surrounds you. So why are you not feeling the security of His presence? Only because you have not been conscious and aware of it! What you continuously focus on is magnified more and more, and becomes the primary thing you are aware of (whether an infirmity, a personal crisis, or a challenging national situation). It will grow and intensify as you continue to talk about it, think about it, and expect it to progress, but you can break this cycle today! You can invite the Holy Spirit to fill you up and burn in you as the Fire that never sleeps. Let the Prince of Peace take away all the anxiety and fill you with His peace. You are now one with the eternal, everlasting God, who lives outside the realms of time and space, and He is your Keeper. This mighty One who created the universe and everything in it, and holds all dominion, power and authority in His hands is your shade at your right hand. He is with you 24/7, whether you are awake or asleep, because He never slumbers or sleeps!
Minoli Haththotuwa, 8 October 2020
