Sooner or later and for any number of reasons, all of us will have nights when we get very little sleep, if at all, because there’s something on our mind we just cannot shake. It can be something we did or something that was done to us. It can include anger, fear, resentment, bitterness, a broken heart, or something else. Whatever it is, it can be very frustrating when we know that if we don’t get the rest of a full night’s sleep, we will not be able to function properly the next day. Even silly or insignificant things may keep us awake from time to time. I had one such experience on a summer day last year. During the day, I happened to hear a song I absolutely used to love when I was a teenager. You guessed it; at night I kept singing it over and over again in my mind and no matter how many times I tried, I just could not stop. At daybreak, the Lord finally answered my continual pleas and I was grateful the following morning I had no pending appointments later that day and did not have to get up early. I’m sure many of you have gone to bed with a certain tune in your mind but when you can’t stop it or get the sleep you want, its no longer pleasant.
If your lack of sleep is caused by worry or fear, let me remind you that you, as a child of God, have the relief and remedy within you. You are neither alone nor forgotten because The Prince of Peace lives in your heart. David knew this promise well which is why he wrote: “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.” (Psalm 4:8) He knew that while he slept, he was safe and the Lord was watching over him to protect him. It is no different for any child of God for we have the same promises.
Do you remember the account in the 8th Chapter of Luke when Jesus and His Disciples were in the middle of a storm and they panicked because He was asleep in the boat? This used to puzzle me many years ago for I could not understand why Jesus was not awake when it appeared His Disciples needed Him the most. Today, I am convinced that, just as His Disciples learned that day, we can have peace in the middle of any storm, the kind that will give us one restful night’s sleep after another. Jesus did it and we can too. If you sleep very well at nights, and before you commend yourself for it, let’s give credit where credit is due. Lets remember that, just as David pointed out in the verse we just read, this is just one more benefit of being a child of God, and sleeping well at night is a benefit many people in the world wish they had.
God’s promise for Today: (John 14:27) “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
