Pillow Talk

How many times in a week do you come into contact with a cushion, or with its big brother, a pillow?  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if, even just for one week, all those moments were in fact contact with God?  That’s the challenge I lay before you today.

“What on earth is he talking about?” I hear you ask.  The answer is, of course, the oft-stated aim of this blog, to link everyday articles and situations to faith, so that encounter with them is a reminder of what we believe and of the God who made us and all creation around us.

So, what is it about cushions and pillows?  “A clear conscience is a soft pillow” is a well-known saying; truly anonymous, accredited variously with English, French, Italian, German or African origins, its meaning is clear, suggesting that it’s easy to sleep when one has no guilt to worry about.  It also highlights what is probably the most common and most obvious use for a pillow ... dormitory warfare excluded.

Mark tells of Jesus and His disciples crossing the Sea of Galilee at night; when a storm came up, threatening to upturn the boat, Jesus was found “sleeping on a cushion in the stern of the boat” (Mark 4:38).  It reminds us of His supreme confidence in His Father’s protection.  That cushion can serve as a reminder of God’s love and care for us and our well-being.

How many times have you struggled to sleep because of some worry or deep concern?  Maybe you have cried yourself to sleep over some serious threat but ... to cry enough to soak the pillow with tears?  Psalm 6 tells of just such a happening; it must have been some worry to do that!  Let’s never forget the power of God in such situations.  He hears our cries for mercy, He accepts our prayers; our enemies – or problem-makers or challenge-presenters – will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish ... and suddenly be put to shame (vv. 9-10).

And finally, there’s the example of Jacob.  He had deceived his brother, left home and was making his way to Harran.  At night he used a stone for a pillow and slept.  God appeared to him in a dream and promised him the land he was laying on, and lots of descendants to populate it.  When he awoke, Jacob was so moved that he took the stone he’d used as a pillow, stood it on end and consecrated it as a memorial to God’s promises (Genesis 28).

I’m not suggesting we use our pillows as a shrine, but they can act as a daily (or nightly?) reminder to us of God’s provision for all our needs.  In response, Jacob undertook to give to God a tenth of what He would give to him ... the origin of the concept of tithing our income. 

What promises is God making to you?  How are you responding to them?