The Lord Gives Us Sleep

Contemporary society pushes us harder and harder, faster and faster into feeling, as the adage goes, "If you snooze: you loose!" None of us want to be seen as not being "diligent in business", which is also one of the requirements for being a pastor; but there is a scriptural balance. "Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain that build it. Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman awakens but in vain." There are so many scriptures speaking to the fact of our dependency on Christ for all things, as expressed in the direct simplicity of his words, "Without me you can do nothing."

"It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows, for so the Lord gives his beloved sleep." So why are you pursuing the vanity of worrying at all?

Recently, I heard a wonderful secular euphemism, delivered by actor Mark Harmon's character on NCIS, the venerable Special Agent Jethro Gibbs. "Anticipation doesn't get you the win. It's how you react to the situation." So it's more about doing your homework and then being rested up to meet the moment head on at your very best.

There is one thing I have learned to say every night; after my prayers, so I can even let go of those prayers to gt to sleep: "I will both lay me down in peace and sleep, for you Lord only make me to dwell in safety". But I change the word "peace" back to the original word "Shalom", because of all it fully means to us. After awhile I would begin to yawn even before I got all the words out, and fall right off to sleep. When I don't, I simply repeat the one word "Shalom", over and over, to remind myself and God of His promise. "Shalom, shalom, shalom... zzzzzzzzzzz..."