Cold at Night

I hate that weird in-between season night temperature where if you go for the full duvet option then you wake up sweating, but if you just go with the single sheet situation then you awake in the early hours of the morning stone cold. 

Thankfully, I am blessed to be married to a man who is essentially an eternal radiator. What this means is that opting for the single sheet and sleeping in close proximity to him, his warmth radiates and keeps me fast asleep and cosy equating to the perfect sleeping temperature all night long. Bliss.

Sometimes, my hubby needs to get up early, and so out of His love for me will sleep elsewhere so the alarm doesn't ruin my slumber. Except the lack of his presence leaves me cold, and that always wakes me up. Less bliss.

In Isaiah 64:7, the prophet writes that at times God turns away from us. Now we know from both the Old Testament and New that God is omnipresent and has promised to always be with us and never forsake us (Matthew 28:20, Hebrews 13:5, 1 Samuel 12:22, Jeremiah 32:40. . .), and yet still, at times it can feel as if He's gone because His face is turned.

Much like my husband's vacancy in the bed leaves me cold, when God appears distant to us, it wakes us up aware of our need for intimacy with Him once again. In these moments we seek Him more earnestly and with greater fervour recognising our need for His presence to be evident in our lives. We learn the hard way that without close proximity to the Father, our lives are cold and uncomfortable.

There are times when I wake up chilly and discombobulated because my husband's presence is gone and I lie there tossing and turning trying to warm up alone, only to fail for the rest of the night resulting in fits and starts of sleep that leave me far from rested come the morning.

Other times, I have been known to pad around the house in the early hours hunting for a husband (not just any husband, obvs)! Upon finding him I either snuggle in close right where he's at or invite him to come back and sleep in our bed and not worry about the early wake up call. The peace that follows from returning to his presence and receiving his warmth allows me to rest peacefully once again.

I wonder if the reason our faith is sometimes cold and uncomfortable is because we've made choices that have meant God has "turned away from us and turned us over to our sins," (Isaiah 64:7 NLT) and we're stuck thinking we can warm up alone. Friends, it's never too late to repent, hunt Him out (His Word is a great place to start looking), climb back into His presence, and receive His peace.

You'll be so glad you did.