My Very Own “Private Eye”

Psalm 121:2-3 “My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; He Who keeps you will not slumber.”

There are nights when it is hard to sleep. The deepening shadows play havoc on the mind and stir up all the worries of the day. As the brain tosses and turns frantically trying to make sense of all that is happening, the elusive answers slip away, and sleep refuses to come. As I lay tossing and turning the other night, I couldn’t help but replay a history lesson from the Old West.

Dad and I love to watch American Experience on PBS. Every once in a while we search the internet for a program that looks interesting and the other night we were engrossed in the story of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. These two men became dissatisfied with their difficult youth and chose to become bandits in America’s Old West. They, along with a posse of disgruntled outlaws, terrorized the national banks and railroad companies.

Butch Cassidy, previously known as Robert Leroy Parker, was the mastermind behind the crimes. Because of his precise planning and perfect execution, the gang was able to steal thousands of dollars from their targets with flawless get-a-aways. There just didn’t seem to be any way to catch the Wild Bunch Gang and they became infamous throughout the frontier. Many a railroad man and bank teller lost sleep on account of the ever-present fear of a hold-up from these dangerous desperados.

It seemed that there was no way to counteract this outfit until the Pinkerton National Detective Agency got involved. This detective agency, known for its slogan “We Never Sleep” was relentless in pursuing Cassidy and his crew. By painstakingly following every lead, the agency slowly began to close the net around the robbers. Eventually, they traced them to Bolivia, South America. A shootout ensued and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were found dead the next morning within their hideout.

As interesting as the lives of these two anti-heroes were, the slogan of the persistent detective company is what really caught my attention. The wide-open eye that illustrated the printed words “We Never Sleep” must have brought some comfort to the men and women who needed protection from the outlaws while at the same time bringing terror into the hearts of the hunted men.

As I lay sleepless thinking about these things I realized that I also have a protector Who never sleeps. As brilliant and persistent as the Pinkerton National Detective Agency was, the Lord from Whom my help comes is so much wiser, so much more persistent, and so much more able to handle the things that threaten me. He is the God Who made the heavens and all that they contain. He is the One Who formed the earth in all its beauty. He does not have to post reward posters or strain His mind to solve my problems. He has them all under control. He will not allow His children’s feet to slip. He will protect them from evil, and keep their souls. He will guard their going out and their coming in from this time forth and forever.

I sensed my churning mind start to calm as I began to focus on the Lord Who never slumbers or sleeps. I realized that if He was awake, then I didn’t have to be. I do not need to wonder where my help is going to come from. I don’t need to fear my personal Cassidy or Sundance. I do not need to rely on a detective agency that claims to never sleep. My Help comes from the Lord who is continually and fully wide awake! As my peaceful soul finally started to drift off, my last thought was, “The Lord, my very own ‘private eye,’ never sleeps, and all is safe under His care.”

Love,

Mama