Do you battle broken sleep? It may be caused by intrusive symptoms, caregiving for another through the night, or walking in a season of too-much and too-hard with swirling thoughts. It’s been a lifelong challenge for me too. When it happens, I tend to wonder how I’ll ever handle the next day’s tasks with the unknown of whether I will sleep at all that night. I remember a night of insomnia as a child, crying my anxious thoughts about the next day to Mom. She comforted me, “You may not sleep, but you are resting. Rest will be enough.”
The Lord comforts us because He talks so much about rest and sleep in Scripture. He must understand insomnia’s challenges and, in His perfect wisdom, it must have a good purpose. As believers, insomnia ushers us into prayer as we rest awake in the dark night, doesn’t it?
When this week brings broken sleep, let’s both prayerfully rest in God’s care for us by letting His Word and His songs dwell in us richly, with hearts of thanksgiving (Col. 3:16)…instead of dreading how our lack of sleep will affect tomorrow. Let’s rest in Jesus when we can’t sleep.
Could this be God’s good and gracious gift to us in sleepless nights, giving us opportunity to spend that extra time in quiet personal worship?
Jesus, I am resting, resting
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God (Col. 3:16).
Jesus, I am resting, resting
in the joy of what thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
of thy loving heart.
Thou has bid me gaze upon thee,
as thy beauty fills my soul,
for by thy transforming power,
thou hast made me whole.
(“Jesus, I am Resting, Resting,” Pigott, J. S., 1876)
Resting in God’s grace and perfect care tonight
We’re resting in God’s sovereign, loving, good care, even if we can’t sleep. Even in our suffering in the dark of night. By His grace, we are completely and eternally safe in the care of the One who never sleeps and is always awake, with us, day and night.
Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep (Ps. 121:4).
O how great thy lovingkindness,
vaster, broader than the sea!
O how marvelous thy goodness
lavished all on me!
Yes, I rest in thee, Beloved,
know what wealth of grace is thine,
know thy certainty of promise
and have made it mine.
Resting in God’s promises for tomorrow
Beloved in Christ, as we rest awake, let’s consider His past help. Have you walked through days, “doing it tired” before? We both have…many days, right? The Lord has sustained us with His grace, supplying our every need, showering us with blessings in our tired days. So, with any amount of sleep, we can rest and trust in His sustaining grace, knowing He will help us tomorrow too.
He gives to his beloved sleep (Ps. 127:2b).
You will not fear the terror of the night (Ps. 91:5a).
Simply trusting thee, Lord Jesus,
I behold thee as thou art,
and thy love, so pure, so changeless,
satisfies my heart;
satisfies its deepest longings,
meets, supplies its ev’ry need,
compasseth me round with blessings:
thine is love indeed.
If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet (Prov. 3:24).
Resting in our eternal rest, our hope in Jesus Christ
One glorious day, the One “who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (I Pet. 2:9b) will bring us into eternal rest. There, “the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb” (Rev. 21:23b). As we live in this earth’s darkness, let’s look with hope to His light, resting in His sustaining grace within our awake nights and our tired tomorrows, praising Him as we rest there.
Ever lift thy face upon me
as I work and wait for thee;
resting ‘neath thy smile, Lord Jesus,
earth’s dark shadows flee.
Brightness of my Father’s glory,
sunshine of my Father’s face,
keep me ever trusting, resting,
fill me with thy grace.
A playlist to help you rest in Jesus when you can’t sleep
This week’s YouTube playlist is a little different because it includes instrumentals of familiar hymns. Based in my professional work as a music therapist and church worship music director, I’ve crafted the playlist to be one we can use for personal worship during nights of insomnia, perhaps alongside needed medical help. I pray that it will literally be God’s useful tool to fill your mind with Scriptural truth and prayers of thanksgiving as you rest awake in His care. The playlist uses music that might help your body to rest (and perhaps foster sleep) in your own pain and challenge. If this might help you this week, sign up here, beloved fellow sufferer.
