In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.
~ Psalm 4:8 (NLT)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sleep is so important, yet we sure have a hard time getting it, don't we? I'm sure some people drool when they see the commercials for the sleep aids that claim to provide a good eight hours of sleep, with the little luminescent butterfly flying gently over the sleepy person as they lay their head down on the pillow...
I hear a lot people tell me how tired they are because they can't sleep. When I ask them why, they usually say it's because they're stressed out thinking about this situation or that circumstance. Relational troubles, job woes, health issues...our minds are reeling 24/7 with worry and stress, and we often can't turn it off in order to get the rest we need. So we toss and turn until the alarm clock jars us awake, to face another day with circles and bags under our eyes....tired again.
Sleep is vital to our physical and emotional health. Some studies even show that weight loss is aided or thwarted based on whether or not you get the proper amount of sleep. So what do we do when the worries of this life invade our dreamy space?
Well, David seemed to have the ticket to a good night's rest. And it wasn't a Sleep Train mattress, either! :-) He trusted God to watch over and care for him. You probably don't worry about being attacked in your sleep like David did, unless you're in a war zone...but then again, maybe you do. Maybe you worry legitimately about feuding neighbors, or drive-by shootings, or hostile ex's, or hurricanes. But if you are a believer in Jesus, you are God's child. He watches over you like a mama bear with her cub - now that's protective! Does that mean that we never experience harm or disaster? Oh, if that were only true. Believers and unbelievers alike are faced with difficult and sometimes dangerous circumstances. But God holds your soul in His hand. Nothing can separate you from Him or His love. And He can give you strength and peace in the midst of whatever is weighing you down, so that you can lie down and sleep in peace.
Trust Him to wrestle with the enemy -- you need your rest.
Love,
Joelene
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I'm sorry, Joelene. The entomologist in me is hard to stifle. The "butterfly" in the commercial is a Luna Moth. They can be found in the eastern half of the U.S and Southern Canada. There, now we can both sleep better. :-)
Shelly
Shelly, you're killin' me. :-) Thanks for keeping me on the entomological straight and narrow!
Joelene
Post a Comment