June 13, 2022

Psalm 63: 6 (NIV)

On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.

We should develop . . . a spiritual instinct, causing us to immediately turn to God when a concern keeps us awake at night.*

Sometimes sleeplessness is just the result of something physical: overeating; too much caffeine; illness; a crying baby. Trying really, really hard to fall asleep seldom ever works. 

I read some good advice for the sleep-deprived: “If insomnia visits you, don’t just waste it – invest it.”* In this verse in Psalms, David reveals the best way to invest your sleeplessness. Instead of lying in bed counting sheep (does that ever work?), take advantage of the quietness of the night and spend some time with God. I read a Facebook post that said, “When you can’t sleep at night, have you ever thought maybe it’s God saying, ‘We need to talk and you now have time.’” 

Don’t know what to talk about? Try journaling. Start by writing, “God, I don’t know what to talk about but here I am.” Or start by listing the things you are thankful for or the things you worry about. Or, begin with the words, “Be still,” and then do it - be still for a few moments, allowing God to make his presence known. Then write, “You are God,” followed by a list of God’s attributes or whatever thoughts God reveals to you. You will find that thinking of God through the “watches of the night” is as refreshing as a good night’s sleep.

To be kept in . . . perfect peace, our mind must be stayed on the LORD.*