Psalm 127:1-2
If God doesn't build the house, the builders only build shacks. If God doesn't guard the city, the night watchman might as well nap. It's useless to rise early and go to bed late, and work your worried fingers to the bone. Don't you know he enjoys giving rest to those he loves?
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
I don’t know about you, but plop me in front of the television after dinner, and unless the show or movie is really compelling – or I have something to do with my hands, like folding clothes – I will often be asleep before the first sitcom ends! Yet when I go to bed, I toss and turn and am wide awake! My mind races and I think of all sorts of things… what I need to do the next day, what I must buy at the grocery store, wondering why I ate that ice cream and/or didn’t work out, and more. If something happens to be weighing on my mind – a concern or a problem – I find drifting off to sleep even more challenging.
For some, going to sleep is not the issue – it’s staying asleep! Some people wake up too early in the mornings – others wake in the middle of the night. But many find going back to sleep to be difficult, if not impossible.
If you are one of those who cannot fall asleep because your “worries of the day” are weighing you down, this passage is for you. If you wake in the night, and your mind starts to race and keep you up, this passage is also for you. The bottom line is that God wants us to rest. He wants to take our worries, cares, mental lists and the “video loop of our day” and handle all of these things for us… and we need to let Him.
“Oh, if it were only that simple!” you may say. It actually can be. The next time you find yourself wide awake, pray. Ask God to take whatever is on your mind and keeping you up and handle it for you. Then simply start to talk to God… to pray for others… to express your cares and your burdens. I find that often I am talking to God one minute, and the next thing I know, I’ve “prayed myself to sleep!” The worst that can happen is that you make good use of your awake time by communicating with God. And often, as you share your thoughts with Him, He gathers them up and handles them so that you can rest.
You might think this passage is telling you not to work so hard. There is nothing wrong with hard work. But this passage is about a healthy balance… and rest… and resting in the LORD. The latter is something we all need to do more often. God is better than Ambien, Lunesta or Tylenol P.M.! If you are trying to handle life without Him, you’re bound to be in for some sleepless nights.
How much have you made God a part of things in your life? Do you have a good balance of work and rest? Is He handling things for you on a regular basis? How well have you been sleeping lately?
©2011 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label sleep. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sleep. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for October 22, 2010
Proverbs 3:21-24
My child, use common sense and sound judgment! Always keep them in mind. They will help you to live a long and beautiful life. You will walk safely and never stumble; you will rest without a worry and sleep soundly.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Insomnia has become a huge problem in recent years for many people. Or maybe we are just more aware of how widespread this problem is for a number of people. In any case, there are now a lot of medications that are reputed to help with insomnia… from Ambien to Lunesta to over-the-counter solutions like Tylenol P.M. and more. Who knew that perhaps one of the best “cures” for insomnia could be found in Proverbs 3 … and why are we surprised?!
“But you don’t have any idea how many worries and stresses I have,” you may be saying. “When my head hits the pillow at night, my mind just races.” I do know… I’ve been there myself.
Proverbs 3:21-24 and scripture passages such as Psalm 127:2, which says in the King James Version…”It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep,” tell us clearly that God wants us to clear our mind, to give our worries and cares to HIM, and to sleep and rest soundly. I know this is hard… and I’m not saying some of us don’t need a little something to help us over the hump with this from time to time.
I do believe that we often fail to give our worries and burdens, stresses and “busyness” completely to God. We give Him our troubles to hold for a few minutes – and then we pick them back up again. As for common sense and sound judgment, I know firsthand that I make the mistake of failing to consult God often enough… in all situations. How hard would it be to stop and take five seconds to say, “Lord, help me to say the right things,” or to ask, “Lord, what should I do?” Even if you have to put down the phone, or raise your hand and say to someone, “Excuse me for a second,” then close your eyes and silently pray for guidance… imagine how this could affect the outcome!
If we spent more time involving God in our lives and consulting Him about even the smallest choices and decisions, our sleep might be more restful and sound… and come more easily. Our life would most certainly be more beautiful and peaceful, and we would stumble far less often.
My prayer for all of us is that we would commit to involving God more completely in our day-to-day living, and that we would experience more rest and peace in our sleep… and more safety, comfort, and blessings in our very lives. Do you have a few seconds to spare to communicate with God? Are you willing to see what a difference it can make?
©2010 Debbie Robus
My child, use common sense and sound judgment! Always keep them in mind. They will help you to live a long and beautiful life. You will walk safely and never stumble; you will rest without a worry and sleep soundly.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Insomnia has become a huge problem in recent years for many people. Or maybe we are just more aware of how widespread this problem is for a number of people. In any case, there are now a lot of medications that are reputed to help with insomnia… from Ambien to Lunesta to over-the-counter solutions like Tylenol P.M. and more. Who knew that perhaps one of the best “cures” for insomnia could be found in Proverbs 3 … and why are we surprised?!
“But you don’t have any idea how many worries and stresses I have,” you may be saying. “When my head hits the pillow at night, my mind just races.” I do know… I’ve been there myself.
Proverbs 3:21-24 and scripture passages such as Psalm 127:2, which says in the King James Version…”It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep,” tell us clearly that God wants us to clear our mind, to give our worries and cares to HIM, and to sleep and rest soundly. I know this is hard… and I’m not saying some of us don’t need a little something to help us over the hump with this from time to time.
I do believe that we often fail to give our worries and burdens, stresses and “busyness” completely to God. We give Him our troubles to hold for a few minutes – and then we pick them back up again. As for common sense and sound judgment, I know firsthand that I make the mistake of failing to consult God often enough… in all situations. How hard would it be to stop and take five seconds to say, “Lord, help me to say the right things,” or to ask, “Lord, what should I do?” Even if you have to put down the phone, or raise your hand and say to someone, “Excuse me for a second,” then close your eyes and silently pray for guidance… imagine how this could affect the outcome!
If we spent more time involving God in our lives and consulting Him about even the smallest choices and decisions, our sleep might be more restful and sound… and come more easily. Our life would most certainly be more beautiful and peaceful, and we would stumble far less often.
My prayer for all of us is that we would commit to involving God more completely in our day-to-day living, and that we would experience more rest and peace in our sleep… and more safety, comfort, and blessings in our very lives. Do you have a few seconds to spare to communicate with God? Are you willing to see what a difference it can make?
©2010 Debbie Robus
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