Sleep Tight

Naturally, I'm much more of an owl than a lark.

I could happily stay awake until the wee hours of the morning, working and socialising, and then sleep in until around 10. But sadly the real world doesn't work like that and, as I am back to work next week, I have been trying to adjust my body clock from my indulgent owl-like holiday sleep patterns.

However, I have so far been unsuccessful. It usually takes me around 45 minutes (no exaggeration) of snoozing to actually come round from the comatose state in which I find myself first thing in the morning.

To try and reduce this, I thought I would set a radio alarm this morning, rather than just the usual alarm, to see if this might provide a more gentle and gradual arousal to consciousness.

However, I seemed so anxious that I would in fact sleep straight through this alarm that I kept waking up every hour wondering what time it was and if I should have been awake already. Coupled with the start of back-to-work dream scenarios, I can't say I felt especially refreshed this morning.

There's little in life as deeply dissatisfying as a bad night's sleep: sometimes I almost wish I hadn't bothered going to bed, I feel so unrested by the morning.

However, the Bible reassures us that we can enjoy restful and peaceful sleep when God is on our side:

"I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety."

[Psalm 4:8 NIV]

And in a different translation this verse reads,

"At day's end I'm ready for sound sleep, For you, God, have put my life back together."

[Psalm 4:8 MSG]

I can lie down and rest in peace because God is for me and is working to restore me.

Now that's what I call sleeping tightly.

Silent Night

I can't help feeling that whoever wrote the Carol 'Silent Night' didn't have children or have any friends with young children.

 

       Silent night, holy night

       All is calm, all is bright

       Round yon Virgin Mother and Child

       Holy Infant so tender and mild

       Sleep in heavenly peace

       Sleep in heavenly peace.

 

Whilst not a parent myself, I am surrounded by friends with young children, all of whom can testify that the first few weeks following the birth of their child/ren was anything but silent.

 

All was not calm.

 

They did not all sleep in heavenly peace.

 

However, I have noticed that there is a sense of calm that descends on a room when there is a baby around.  All eyes will turn towards the child, conversations will peter out and a sort of hush descends on the room. 

 

There is something calming and soothing about the presence of a baby.

 

It's the same with Jesus - both the baby and the man.  There is something calming in His presence.  When we look to Him - really look to Him - we find that the other things in our lives fade away.  The everyday busyness is stilled and we find ourselves at peace again.

 

       "You will keep in perfect peace
       all who trust in you,
       all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
       Trust in the Lord always,
       for the Lord God is the eternal Rock."

 

       [Isaiah 26:3 NLT]

 

 

When we look to Jesus and put our trust in Him, all becomes calm and we can sleep in [perfect] heavenly peace.

 

 

 

 

 

Insomnia

Ironically, after posting last night about how tired I was, I couldn't sleep.

 

I wasn't even in the least bit sleepy.

 

I tried to sleep for about an hour and didn't feel any sleepier.  I read my book, I wrote in my journal, I listened to some music, and then I tried again.  But with no luck.  I was just as wide awake.

 

Eventually I stopped pretending I was sleepy and I got up.

 

I had some toast, did the washing up that I had left for the morning, tidied my flat, rearranged my furniture, straightened my hair and rang my sister.

 

About three hours after I had first gone to bed, I finally fell asleep.

 

Needless to say, I am exhausted today.

 

But I'm not the only one who was awake last night.  The Bible says that God doesn't sleep either.  Not because He suffers from insomnia and can't drop off, but because He watches over us and protects us in our sleep:

 

"I look up to the mountains - does my help come from there?  My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!  He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber.  Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps."

[Psalm 121:1-3 NLT]

 

Sometimes it's easy to think that God has fallen asleep, that He has dozed off somewhere [as Jesus did when He was in the boat with His disciples], and is unaware of what is going on in our lives.  Sometimes God seems distant and silent and sleepy.  We are left waiting for answers to prayers or solutions to problems whilst, it seems, God snoozes.

 

But He who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps.

 

God is always awake, always active, always working for us. 

 

Jesus said,

"My Father is always working, and so am I."

[John 5:17 NLT, emphasis mine]

 

We can rest in peace, because we know that God is always working and looking out for us.  He watches over us to prevent us from stumbling. 

 

So tonight, I hope that I can say, as the Psalmist did -

 

       "I will lie down and sleep in peace,

       for you alone, O Lord,

       make me dwell in safety."

 

       [Psalm 4:8 NIV]