January 29
Exodus 1-2
Psalm 17:10-13
Proverbs 3:24-26
Matthew 19
Sweet Dreams
“When you lie down, you will not be in dread; you will lie down and your sleep will be pleasant. Do not be afraid of sudden dread nor of the storm of the wicked when it comes; for Yahweh will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.” Proverbs 3:24-26 LSB
When God designed our bodies to need sleep. He made them to work during the day and have periods of rest at night. He even designed the earth so that we would have periods of light for working and periods of darkness that would facilitate sleep. He knew that we cannot function well without time to slow down, turn our minds off and rest. There have been lots of studies done on sleep and how much our bodies need in order to maintain good health. There is not a consensus on the exact amount that is optimal but scientists agree that sleep affects our mental health, physical health and general overall wellbeing. We all know that we need sleep and yet so many people do not get adequate sleep. Many adults take some form of sleeping aid to either help them fall asleep or stay asleep. There is nothing more frustrating than lying in bed knowing you need to sleep, you want to sleep and yet you can’t. Watching the clock tick 1:00am, then 2:15am, then 4:00am and still no sleep. You finally doze off and the alarm clock alerts you that it’s time to get up and start your day again. Ugh!
There are lots of reasons for sleep difficulties. Some of them are physiological and need to be addressed by a physician. But when I have trouble sleeping, it is usually due to stress and anxiety. I am worried about something and my mind won’t stop chasing rabbits down the dark hole of what ifs and if onlys. Or I have too many things on my to do list that I keep going over and over in my head. In those times I need to remind myself of today’s passage in Proverbs. God does not want us to lie awake at night worrying about things that we have no control over. He gives rest to His children. “It is in vain that you rise up early, that you sit out late, O you who eat the bread of painful labors; for in this manner, He gives sleep to His beloved.” Psalm 127:2 LSB When my girls were little and had trouble sleeping it upset me because I didn’t want them to worry or be afraid. I wanted them to rest in the assurance that they were safe and secure and I was taking care of any problems that might affect them. In our passage in Matthew today we read about Jesus blessing the little children who were coming to Him. He says, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14 LSB God desires that we come to Him as little children. Little children don’t worry. They trust that their parents are taking care of them. They don’t even know that they have anything to worry about. God desires that we come to Him with the faith of a little child. We can rest in the knowledge that He is taking care of everything that concerns us.
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