That night, Baara slept a dreamless sleep for the first time since her capture. From the moment she laid her head on the mat until the cock crew, she did not stir. When she awoke, she felt refreshed and ready to face what the day might bring.

After dressing quickly, Baara moved into the courtyard to await Naaman's exit from her mistress's chamber. As she sat under the olive tree, she focused most of her mind on Yahweh, reserving a small part of her consciousness to watch for activity near Maacah's room. This morning her mind was overflowing with thanksgiving. While her rift with Maacah had not been healed, Baara felt at peace after yesterday's opportunity to minister to the mistress who had given her so much. The Psalms she sang in her mind were ones of thanksgiving and praise.

After thanking God for his graciousness, Baara prayed for her mistress. She prayed that sleep had healed her pain and restored her to health. As she prayed for Maacah, Baara remembered her restful night and knew the peace that had allowed her to sleep had come from Yahweh. Unbidden, her mother's voice echoed through her mind, reciting words from both King David and King Solomon, words that reminded Baara that God provides peaceful slumber to those who trust in Him.

"I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. (Psalm 3:8) Keep sound wisdom and discretion; So they will be life to your soul and grace to your neck. Then you will walk safely in your way and your foot will not stumble. When you lie down you will not be afraid; Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet. Do not be afraid of sudden terror. Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes; for the Lord will be your confidence..." (Proverbs 3:21b-26a)

As the words echoed in Baara's mind, she recognized that the sweet, dreamless sleep of the previous night had come because she had given Yahweh her fear. When she claimed God as her salvation and her shield, she had surrendered to Him the burden of fear that had haunted her nights since the raid on her home. Her anger at God and her feeling of betrayal had kept her from His peace and had filled her nights with terror. Only after she poured out her pain to God, could He bring her the comfort she needed. She had shut Him out with a wall of anger and bitterness, even while refusing to worship other gods. Until she talked to Yahweh about her feelings, she had clung to her religion not because she worshipped God but because she had been afraid of Him. She had been afraid He might bring retribution on her for some unnamed sin. She had not recognized His love for her. Only after the dream had she recognized Yahweh's hand of protection in Naaman's timely arrival. While she still did not understand God's ways or His reasons, she did trust Him with her past as well as her future.

So thankful was Baara for her deliverance from the nightmares that she wanted to burst forth in song. Not wishing to disturb the others, she contented herself by humming softly, "I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart; I will enter his courts with praise..."

As she hummed, Baara saw Naaman leave his room. Glancing her way, he nodded slightly and continued on his way without any formal acknowledgement. At this, Baara's heart lifted because she knew his actions meant Maacah was better. She could go and tend her mistress without fear that she was still suffering from the ailment that had caused so much pain and distress.

When Baara entered the room, she found Maacah sitting up on the shelf that served as a bed. Her countenance was pale as she rested against the wall. As Baara turned to the water jar, Maacah's soft voice stopped her.

"You will have to refill the jar before you can serve me," Maacah said. "Naaman said he used the last during the night to keep my brow cool."

"Then the pain continued through the night?" Baara questioned.

"If it did, I was unaware," Maacah answered. "The last memory I have is of you messaging my back while you hummed a haunting melody. I do not remember drifting into sleep or Naaman returning to the room. When I awoke a few minutes ago, I was surprised to learn it was morning. The pain is gone, leaving me weak but otherwise fine. But the melody you hummed wove itself through my sleep, somehow seeming to soothe the pain. What was the song, child?"

Confused, Baara looked at Maacah with questioning eyes. "I am sorry, mistress. I do not remember humming to you. I was taking care to be very quiet because Naaman said noise would aggravate the pain. Perhaps if you hum a little for me, I will recognize the tune."

As Maacah began to hum softly, Baara felt the color drain from her cheeks. Maacah glanced at her, stopped humming, and asked, "What is it child? You look as though you have seen a ghost."

"I think perhaps an angel sang you into a peaceful slumber," Baara responded. "The song you are humming is a Psalm of comfort, but I know that I did not hum it to you. It was my mother's favorite Psalm. She had been singing it the day...the day..." Baara's voice choked and then faded as she averted her eyes while tears ran down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry, child," Maacah murmured. "I didn't mean to bring back painful memories. But the tune is so clear, and there are no others here who would know the melodies of your religion. You and I were alone here in the room when I heard the song. Who is the angel of whom you speak?"

"I'm okay, mistress," Baara said, using her index fingers to wipe the tears from her cheeks. "Although there are tears and pain, I'm no longer haunted by nightmares. I've come to a place of peace concerning what happened. I don't know why Yahweh allowed my family to die while protecting me, but I've been given a peace in my soul. I know He's in control of my life and my destiny is in His hands. He will be my salvation and my shield."

Baara sank to the couch in front of Maacah and laid her hand on her mistress's.

"As for the angel," she continued, "an angel is a messenger from Yahweh. One sometimes comes in human form and sometimes in dreams. An angel can bring a message of comfort or of wrath. He can speak peace or warn of destruction. Sometimes he seeks to draw a person into a relationship with Yahweh."

"So why would an angel hum to me a song I do not know?" Maacah questioned. "The song could not bring me a message since it had no words."

"No-o-o..." Baara puzzled aloud. "But the song did fill you with peace and comfort and lull you into a healing sleep. The tune stayed with you so you could question me about its meaning. Perhaps God meant for us both to derive comfort from the song. Perhaps He has chosen this way to heal both our souls."

"That sounds a little far fetched to me," Maacah admitted. "I can't remember any stories of gods sending personal messages of comfort to anyone, not in my Amorite upbringing or in my Armenian conversion. However, I must admit I'm intrigued. Just what was the message your God sent me by way of a humming angel?"

"The Psalm the angel hummed to you was first sung by our King David," Baara replied. "Although he was our greatest King, he started life as a shepherd boy. In the Psalm he compared God to a shepherd and those who follow Him to sheep. The Psalm goes like this."

In a soft voice, Baara began to sing the song she had refused to allow into her consciousness since the death of her family. As she sang, the song of comfort and hope continued the healing process God had begun in Baara's heart when she cried out to Him in despair only two nights before.

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are there with me; Your rod and Your staff they comfort me. You prepare a table for me in the presence of mine enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." (Psalm 23)

"That is such a beautiful song," Maacah said as the sound of Baara's voice faded. "The promise of the song is so wonderful. It's too bad the song is to a foreign god. While the melody brought me peace and sleep, I'm afraid I can't claim the message for my waking hours. My soul may need restoration, but the song can't give that, at least not to me. Perhaps the angel had to sing to me because your soul was in such pain you could not listen. I'm sure the words were meant for you, not me. I only needed sleep to bring me out of 'the valley of the shadow of death' created by the pain. You, though, you have been in a much darker valley. Your mother must have sung to me from beyond the grave so that you would remember the Psalm of comfort and know she is at peace and in the House of your God."

"Perhaps the angel simply meant the message for me, but I suspect Yahweh had a reason for having it sung to you," Baara countered. "Anyway, it has accomplished the purposes you spoke of. The melody brought you a peaceful slumber and brought me assurance that my parents dwell in the House of the Lord. Whether there is a deeper meaning to the message only time will tell."

"I don't know what you mean by a deeper message," Maacah responded. "But if you think about the song, much of it has been true in your life here. He has set you a table in the midst of your enemies, has He not? He has placed you in as peaceful a household as possible for a slave in Damascus; thus, He let you lie down in green pastures. If what you say is true, He has restored your soul. And you definitely look more refreshed than any morning since your arrival. I do believe the dark circles under your eyes are finally receding. You seem to have lost your fear of evil. Yes, I would say the Psalm certainly speaks to your current situation. Before you sang me the Psalm, I was prepared to make you give up your worship of Yahweh as a condition of your remaining as my maid. Now, I'm not so sure. We'll talk of your transgression and the consequences later, but right now, we need water so you can help me to wash and change."

"Would you like me to bring you something to eat before I go for water?" Baara asked. "After two days without repast, you must be hungry," she said without commenting on Maacah's words about her transgression. Whatever happened, she knew she could live with the consequences. She had asked God only for wisdom and strength, and she did not plan to change the request.

"Bring some goat's milk, if the goat has been milked this morning," Maacah said. "If that does not make me feel ill, I will eat more when you return."

Baara hastened to do her mistress's bidding and then headed for the well. As she hurried down the street intent on her errand, she heard a coarse voice hail her.

Stopping and turning toward the voice, Baara said, "Oh, Serah, I forgot I was supposed to meet you. I'm in a hurry now to get fresh water for my mistress."

Falling into step beside the girl, Serah answered, "We can talk while we hurry. I'm not going to let you off that easily. I was afraid something had happened to you, and I didn't even know where you lived so I could question the gossips. Since I didn't hear of a slave beating or a sudden transfer of ownership, I hoped you were fine."

Looking at Serah in surprise, Baara answered, "My master is not like most. Even if he were displeased, he would not flog me or sell me. It would have to be a major offense, one transgressing the law of the land, before Naaman would act so harshly. The most that might have happened was that I would be relegated to the distasteful task of slopping the hogs."

"Ah, so you are Naaman's slave," Serah said in a knowing tone, as though that information shed a great deal of light on the subject.

"What do you mean by that tone?" Baara questioned. "You sound as though the gossips have already been busy with their tales."

Laughing, Serah said, "No recent tales, but everyone knows Naaman married a slave. Every slave girl who hears the tale hopes she'll be lucky enough to be bought by a Naaman. In slave legend, Naaman is synonymous with a man of sterling character who marries for love rather than convenience. He is someone who sees slaves as human beings and not just property."

"Well, he does treat his slaves better than most," Baara admitted. "And, unlike many men, he has only the one wife. He has taken no concubines. The way he treats his wife definitely shows he loves her. Maybe the fact that she was a slave has influenced how he views slaves in general. But he still keeps slaves, so don't put him on a pedestal. Hes a good man, though. He kept his men from violating me when they captured me in a raid on our village. If he hadn't arrived on the scene, I shudder to think what might have happened."

As they continued to the well and drew water, Baara told Serah about what had happened to her, but only after eliciting a promise that she would not repeat the conversation to the gossips. Serah gave her word, telling Baara she used the gossip mill when she needed information but did not add to the content. Because Serah was a descendant of Jacob and believed in Yahweh, Baara shared freely with her in a way she had been unable to do with any other in Damascus, except perhaps Maacah. For the first time, Baara thought that perhaps her life would be at least tolerable. She now had a friend. If only she could manage to bring restoration in the relationship with her mistress, Baara imagined she could adjust to a life of slavery in a strange land.

As she left Serah and headed home, Baara found she was once again talking to Yahweh, asking for wisdom and strength. As she talked, she suddenly stopped in mid-stride, realizing that she was doing something she had never done before. She was talking to the God of the universe like He was her friend. She, a woman, was daring to pour out her heart to God as though He might be interested in her everyday life. For a minute she wondered how she could presume to be so bold. As she started slowly forward, she replayed in her mind the dream where Yahweh's finger beckoned Naaman to her rescue. If the dream were truly from God and not her imagination, then He was concerned about her life. He had chosen to spare her and bring her to this place. He must have a purpose for her here and if she didn't pray to Him, how would she find that purpose? She remembered the stories she had learned growing up of the women God had used in the history of her nation.

She thought of Deborah, a judge who dared mete out God's judgment. She remembered that God had used Miriam to save her brother and later as a partner in bringing God's people out of Egypt. She knew the story of Rahab and how God had led her to help the spies. She recalled Ruth and how God blessed her with a son because of her faithfulness. She pondered on Hannah and how her prayer to God had been answered with the birth of her son Samuel, a great priest.

The history of her people abounded with women who had trusted God, women who had spoken to Him without the intervention of a man. Although Baara did not count herself as the equal of these women, she took comfort from the fact that God did listen to the petitions of women. He seemed to care about them and their trials. Why, He had even listened to the servant Hagar when she was alone in the desert after she fled in fear from her mistress Sarah. If God was concerned about this slave who was of foreign lineage, then surely He wanted Baara to talk to Him and seek His direction in her life. Awed by her realization, she continued home praying and rejoicing in her mind, thanking God for revealing Himself to her despite her anger and fear.