The gift of sleep

“It is useless to rise up early and go to bed late, and work your worried fingers to the bone. Don't you know he enjoys giving rest to those he loves?” ~Psalm 127:2

Yes, I do know. I know that God enjoys giving rest to those he loves, but somehow, I’d lost my grip on that true meaning of rest. Countless nights, I lie awake on my bed with to-do list for the next day replaying itself over and over again in my mind. Before I realize it, fear starts filling the gaps of uncertainties. Eventually, I will fall asleep, but it is not as comfortable as I hope it would be. My body doesn’t even seem fully refreshed the next morning.

For a while now, I’ve struggled with getting a good rest at night. I tend to sleep late and wake up early. For many, this is diligence- stretch yourself, work hard & long if you want to succeed. I was starting to think that way too, until few mornings ago, God gave me a wake-up call through the verse above.

It is vain, totally worthless, for me to rise up early and sit up late, and so deny myself of the bodily refreshment that I need. No doubt, hard work pleases the Lord; however, my working to the restriction of rest will be nothing more than just a cover-up for my inability to trust Him to provide for my needs.

Sleep, even bodily sleep, is God's gift to his beloved. Yet, we often times lose this precious gift to the devil- in fears, worries & anxieties. It is more than just a physical act of lying down on the bed and cuddling our favourite blanket since our spiritual body is attached to our physical one. Our spiritual body needs to find rest & contentment in the Sovereignty of God first, believing by faith that what the Bible says is true regardless of our present circumstances; before we can find the physical rest our body yearns for.

Jesus slept in the middle of the hurly-burly storm at sea. He let the waves rock him to sleep. He shows us what it really means to sleep long & soundly; and that is to place our trust not in our own strength and hard work, but in Him without whom we labor in vain.

Thank you, dear Lord, for showing me this precious truth.