|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
God gives blessings to us even when we sleep. Psalm 127:2
How to sleep is a major teaching in the Bible.
God wants your sleep to be a time of rest from eyelids-shut to eyelids-open eight hours later. “Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed” is a diminutive to what God wants to do for you while sleeping.
God wants to bless you.
He works through sleep for your body to heal itself, while your brain shuts down to be relieved of stress. You then wake up in the morning healed, pain gone, calm, filled with positive dreams, excitement for the day ahead, and filled with the power of the Spirit.
Now that’s a great eight hours of sleep!
The context of the “blessing while you sleep” in Psalm 127 passage is building houses and protection against enemies.
Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil. Psalm 127:1-2
Building houses today is what you are trying to achieve in life. What are your goals, passions, and hoped-for relationships? Stress comes at you daily from these areas. A good night’s sleep brings the perspective to freshly start over the next day.
Watching over the city is protecting your domain. Your job, future, family, and even your 401k. The more that you own, the more protection is needed. Same with money, success, possessions, and social media “likes.”
Lots of stress from “building houses” and “watching over the city.”
When God gives sleep, He takes the previous day’s stress and gets rid of it. He takes the abuse of work upon your body and brings healing. Understanding the blessing of sleep, we quickly realize the danger of not sleeping well.
Good sleep is a discipline not like other disciplines.
If we need to lose weight, no problem – discipline to eat less! Well, maybe a big problem but an attempt can be made. But with sleep, try thinking at night.
I’m going to sleep tonight. Go to sleep soul. I’m getting eight hours tonight. I’m at 5,356 sheep counted. I’m going to break the world’s record for counting sheep tonight. I’m telling you, soul, go to sleep!
Instead of counting sheep try memorizing and praying:
In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:8
As you come to the word “peace,” think about what is causing anxiety at the moment and give it to God. When you say “safety” consider your ministry, your family, your dreams – and give them to God for the night.
Do this. God will give you sleep. He will also give you new dreams and visions.