I lie down and sleep; I wake up again because the Lord
sustains me. Psalm 3:5
Right this very moment someone somewhere tosses and turns, and turns and tosses, before finally falling to sleep. Sleep may be brief, deep (just ask any sleep deprived new parent) or so trouble free, that it is maintained for as long as possible! But it seems more often than not, people we talk with disclose difficulty falling to sleep at night. One obvious reason is that we are a people with over-stimulated brains! With all the electronic “gizmos” available to us, there is information at our fingertips in an instant, at all hours of the day and night, and we can go from one thing to another just as quickly. Even little ones are using electronic tablets with the deft of a twenty year old! All this stimulation keeps our brain alert and is not conducive to a relaxing bedtime environment. Visual, auditory and sensory stimulation is a constant. Rarely are homes “quiet” today. It seems when we are not involved with accessing information or “connecting” with friends, we are playing some challenging game on our tablets or bombarding ourselves with daily news events! None of this contributes to a good nights sleep when we continue the activity into the night. Sleep is a gift; a gift that enables our bodies to rest, to be relieved of and make sense of, all the chaos we experience every day. Sleep is essential for us to be renewed, so that upon awakening after a night of being sustained by our God, our strength and optimism may be refilled.
Every one of us goes through periods of time in our lives when our sleep is troubled. Every one of us tosses and turns at times, as we struggle with our weaknesses, worries and physical ailments. But the psalmist reminds us that sleep is a gift from God, necessary for sustaining our well being. As we lie down to prepare for sleep, take that time to quietly pray. Pray for God’s blessings on your day and night. Pray for God’s protection during your hours of rest. Pray for God to grant you the amount of replenishing rest your body needs to be sustained in good health. Pray for others. And if your sleep continues to be troubled, seek the professional help that is available.
There is a bedtime prayer I grew up with that I love and has been now passed down from our children to our Grandchildren; one that countless Christians say:
‘Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray thee Lord, thy child to keep,
Your love guard me through the night and wake me with the morning light. Amen’
Be with us Lord in our hours of rest and may we awaken renewed in body and spirit.
Copyright© 2013 Kathleen A. Matson