Renee Swope
Nov 5, 2025
Remember mom, you are also God's daughter.
“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with his love, He will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV)
The silence startled me! I shot up in bed so I could see the neon red lights that told me it was three in the morning, time to feed the baby. Andrew hadn’t made a sound. Was something wrong? Or, could he be sleeping through the night? I wavered between panic and joy as I felt my way down the hall to the nursery and leaned over Andrew’s crib. I listened for the sweet sound of his breathing and carefully rested my hand on his tiny chest to feel the gentle rhythm of its rising and falling.
Moonlight slipped through the blinds helping me to see that he was perfectly fine. Most sane mothers would have gone back to bed. But not me, I stood there for a while watching my child sleep. The love and joy that I felt at that moment was almost overwhelming. How could I love someone so much? My heart longed just to be near this little guy who set my days in motion with his cries and smiles.
Andrew developed a routine of sleeping through the night soon after, yet I would listen for his cries hoping I would have a good excuse to check on him. While he was sleeping, I’d sneak into his room just because I wanted to be with him. Then I’d tiptoe into my older son Joshua’s room, and watch him slumber. As I looked at their faces, I’d dream of the little guys God was shaping them into. I’d whisper prayers for them to know Jesus in a personal way. I’d ask God to calm their fears, to fulfill their dreams, and to establish their steps to walk in His ways and not in the paths the world would pave for them.
There are still many nights that I sneak in to watch my children while they are sleeping, simply because I want to be with them. They aren’t doing anything to make me feel proud or happy. They may have even driven me to my wits’ end that day, but I enjoy them because they are mine. God feels the same way about you and me. He wants to be with us, even while we are sleeping!
God delights greatly in you my friend, and He is always there to quiet your heart with His love. He dances and sings over you and I bet He dreams of the woman He’s designed you to be while gently leading your heart to know Him more.
What a great reminder for days when nothing’s going right – when we feel like the whole world is against us and nobody understands what we’re going through. I hope the next time you have one of those days, you’ll imagine the love of a parent watching their child sleep and remember there’s a God who loves you even more than that!
Dear Lord, thank You for the reminder that You are always with me and that You love to watch over me, every minute of every day – even while I am sleeping! Help me to completely believe the truth about Your love towards me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Devotional: https://proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2008/10/16/while-you-are-sleeping-2