What Do We Do When We Cannot Get To Sleep?
Good Morning Friends,
I do hope you got enough sleep last night and have awoken refreshed. There is so much ambient light everywhere it is hard for people to get enough separation from the world. That lack of shuteye means not enough dreaming and not enough serotonin and Norepinephrine being produced and that not only effects cognitive functioning but is unhealthy for us in many other ways. Some people use drugs to sleep and frankly that does not always work out well. Of course, occasional sleepless nights are normal for nearly everyone and sometimes insomnia is going to happen. Physical pain and nightmares and spiritual problems can keep us up at night. So I was wondering if the Bible might guide us on this issue. What Do We Do When We Cannot Get To Sleep?
Scripture: Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.
1 Peter 5:7 (NRSV)
Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7 (NRSV)
We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true;
2 Corinthians 6:3-8 (NRSV)
If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
John 15:7 (NRSV)
If you sit down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
Proverbs 3:24 (NRSV)
Answer me when I call, O God of my right! You gave me room when I was in distress. Be gracious to me, and hear my prayer. How long, you people, shall my honor suffer shame? How long will you love vain words, and seek after lies? Selah But know that the Lord has set apart the faithful for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him. When you are disturbed, do not sin; ponder it on your beds, and be silent. Selah Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord. There are many who say, “O that we might see some good! Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord!” You have put gladness in my heart more than when their grain and wine abound. I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety.
Psalm 4 (NRSV)
Message: Well friends I might as well say it from the beginning, if you are having trouble sleeping you might just want to try obeying God in the daytime as a way to lead to better sleep. Sleep is important and guilt and a sense of guilt can get in the way of a healthy life. We will spend about 25 % of our lives sleeping. So to get the best out of sleep we could all use a little Biblical wisdom that goes beyond the obvious. Perhaps you have gone to bed with a problem and wake up with a solution. Well, what is happening is that our memory is defragging and rebooting so that we can think more clearly. God planned us to live this way and to heal us when we sleep. So I have selected some scripture and ordered some thoughts that might help prepare us for some good healthy sleep. Perhaps the most important thought is to know that what we do during the day will affect how we sleep at night. And almost as important is to ponder and pray before one goes to sleep. Friends, if we are having trouble sleeping, we should count our blessings not sheep. And if we have had a troubling day then we might ask God to give us a prayer dream as one of God’s mysterious ways of breaking into our world and speaking to us. The Bible is filled with examples of the importance of dreams. Just submitting to the reality that God can help us when we cannot help ourselves is important. Of course the purpose of sleep is rest, but we should not covet sleep to the point of becoming lazy. We need to be ready and awake to do God’s work in the world. And God gives us sleep so we can have strength for that work. So when the daylight comes and we get out of bed, we need to be ready to serve the Lord with gladness. In summation, the Bible tells us repeatedly to do all things for the glory of God. It is our purpose and this includes sleep and our preparation for sleep. Friends, if our whole society is not getting enough quality sleep, then it is much harder for us to function. If we do not set a good rhythm of time with God and time with others our minds and spirit can be damaged as well as our whole culture.
Pray we stop working so hard and work smarter. Pray we realize how good sleep is for us. Pray we keep our minds at peace. Pray we stop worrying so much. Pray we set our minds not on earthly things. Pray we sing and pray in our hearts with thankfulness to God. Pray we take comfort in Jesus urging our hearts to believe and to not be troubled. Pray we sleep trusting in the Lord.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 