The theme for today is Keeper.

Psalm 121. A poetic psalm. A pilgrimage psalm. A protection psalm.

Keep. Keep. Keep. Keep. Keep. Keep. Six times. Six times we read/sing/hear that God keeps. God is our protecter. God is our preserver. God is our keeper. God is THE keeper.

The nights are the hardest. We look out our hotel window down at the MICU and say, “Oh Zachie, we love you sonnie. Goodnight.” Sleep doesn’t come easy. Sometimes feels like sleep doesn’t come at all. The nights are restless. If we wake, odds are one of us says “Zachie. Zachie, wake up!” Toss. Turn. Shuffle. Shift. Not to mention there are nights where we have a “who’s sawing logs the loudest” contest.

And then Zach. He doesn’t get sleep. He gets sedation. What’s that like? What is he feeling? What is he thinking? Is he anxious? Is he scared? Is he agitated? What’s going on in his brain? Is anything going on in his brain?

God doesn’t sleep. He doesn’t doze. He doesn’t slumber. He’s busy helping. He’s busy protecting. He’s busy keeping.

What does God say about our restlessness and our sleeplessness? What does God say about all our questions? Keep. Keep. Keep. Keep. Keep. Keep. Six times.

If we don’t get it, if we don’t believe it, if we don’t accept it, He tells us to read it again, sing it again, and pray it again. He tells us six times. He can’t tell us enough.

God is our keeper. God is Zach’s keeper. We love our keeper.

Today’s Updates:

Zach had another CT of the chest today. Unfortunately, the imaging showed that his chest pneumonia has not improved much since last week. He is still very congested, especially in his right lung (the lung needing chest tubes) and the doctors say this will take time and antibiotics to clear up.

Zach had another restless day today. The nurses say it’s hard to tell what he’s processing from his surroundings, so they recommend keeping his area calm when we visit. The doctors say that the restlessness could be neurological (related to the brain injury) and that neurological recovery takes time. We will continue to pray for patience and healing every day.

One song that has been very beneficial and fits with the theme today is “Praise You In This Storm” by Casting Crowns (Megan’s recommendation).

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“I lift up my eyes to the hills.
 From where does my help come?

My help comes from the Lord,
 who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved;
 he who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, he who keeps Israel
 will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;
 the Lord is your shade on your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day,
 nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.

The Lord will keep
 your going out and your coming in
 from this time forth and forevermore.”

Psalm 121