He watches me as I sleep

I was reading John Ortberg's great book "The Life you have Always Wanted" and this passage touched me deeply.

"Sometime ago I woke up in the middle of the night... I looked at my wife, Nancy, sleeping beside me and suddenly I was overwhelmed by the most intense sense of love. It was as if I saw our entire married life in one kaleidoscopic viewing. One scene after another replayed in my mind... For the longest time I just watched my wife in wonder as she slept. It was one of the most tender moments I have ever known.

Then something happened that I did not expect. Propped up on one elbow and watching Nancy sleep, I thought, While I lie in bed sleeping, God is watching me. As the Psalmist expressed it, "He who keeps you will not slumber nor sleep." And the thought came to me that God was saying something like this:

"I love you like that. While you lie sleeping, no one can see you, but I watch you. My heart is full of love for you. What your heart is feeling right now as you watch your wife, what a parent feels watching a child, is a little picture for you, a gift, so you can know - every night when you go to sleep - that this is my heart for you. I want you to reflect on this at night before you close your eyes. I'm watching you, and I'm full of love."

It was an overwhelming moment. I had the sense that God himself was somehow speaking to me. These were not just thoughts about God, but thoughts from God. I felt that God want to speak of his love to me - personally."