Bedside Blessings by Charles R. Swindoll was one of my mother-in-law’s books. I had never read him, but I have heard parts of his sermons on the radio. I decided to go through this book last year.

It’s a small book, 5 1/2 inches by just under 4 1/2 inches. Most pages contain just a paragraph or two from Swindoll and a Bible verse. It takes its theme from Psalm 63:6 (NASB): “When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches.” It’s just the right size for the nightstand, just the right length for a thought to begin or end the day with (or turn to in the middle of the night.)

Most, if not all, of Swindoll’s writings here seem to come from his other books. Sometimes his sentences didn’t seem to be on the same theme as the verse for the day—maybe they were in their original context. But for the most part, his words go along with the verse in the readings.

A few quotes from the book:

The Word of God doesn’t tell us about the truth; it is the truth. It doesn’t merely contain words about God; it is the Word of God. We don’t have to try real hard to make it relevant; it is relevant. Don’t neglect it. It is the foundation of a stable life. It feeds faith (p. 22).

When I read God’s Word, I don’t find that many stories about great crusades and city-wide revivals and mass meetings where God’s attention rested on an entire country or a whole community. More often, I find individual men and women who made a difference, who set the pace or cut a wide swath or stood in the gap and changed their times. From Genesis to Revelation, we see God’s hand on the lives of individuals who thought and said and did what was right – regardless- and as a result, history was made (p. 186).

When the temptation to worry first arrives, that’s the critical moment. The tendency is to entertain it. To let it onto the front porch and allow it to sit there. But before you know it, worry has crawled in through the window and made itself at home! No, worry must be stopped. We have to decide that we are going to commit this worry to God right now and refuse to entertain it, even on the front porch of our thinking (p. 190).

When preparing for an unprecedented event, wait on the Lord before getting involved. At least as important as the thing we are waiting for is the work God does in us while we wait (p. 208).

If you are blessed with abilities, if you are gifted, if you are used by God, it is easy to start believing your own stuff. Yet one of the marks of a truly mature life is humility of spirit. A truly humble person looks for opportunities to give himself freely to others rather than holding back, to release rather than hoarding, to build up rather than tearing down, to serve rather than being served, to learn from others rather than clamoring for the teaching stand (p. 315).

God’s redemptive providence is always at work, even through the most diabolical schemes and actions. . . .So, take heart, my friend. God is in full control. Nothing is happening on earth that brings a surprise to heaven. Nothing is outside the scope of His divine radar screen as He guides us safely home. Things that seem altogether confusing, without reason, unfair, even wrong, do indeed fit into the Father’s providential plan (p. 332).

All in all, I thought it was a good resource.

(Sharing with Booknificent Thursday, Carole’s Books You Loved)