When I Awake

Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 5-6; John 18; Psalm 139

“I awake, and I am still with you…” Psalm 139:18

At first glance, this verse may seem like a simple morning reflection. We lie down, we sleep, we wake up—and God is still there. His presence doesn’t waver. That’s certainly a true and comforting thought. In fact, some mornings after I swing my feet over the edge of the bed, and sit there for a moment, I find myself whispering, “Good morning, Lord,” before I even leave the edge of the bed. I’m still with Him, and He’s still with me. What a grace that is.

But this verse may reach deeper than the start of an average Wednesday morning. Psalm 139 has already taken us through the mystery of life in the womb (v.13–16), and the wonder that God’s thoughts toward us outnumber the sand (v.17). It’s possible the psalmist is also thinking beyond the sleep of night—and pointing toward the sleep of death.

Throughout Scripture, death is often described as sleep, especially for the people of God. The apostle Paul repeatedly uses that language: “We do not want you to be uninformed... about those who sleep in death” (1 Thess. 4:13). In Christ, even death is not the end—only a kind of sleep from which we will one day awake.

If that’s the kind of “awakening” the psalmist has in mind, then this verse holds profound resurrection hope:
Even in death, we are not separated from God. When we awake—on the other side—we are still with Him.

That’s the promise. Whether you’re opening your eyes to a new morning or opening your eyes in eternity, God will still be there.