“In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.”
Psalms 4:8
Blessed are those who are able to sleep well. God separated daytime from night time; we work during daytime, while we rest and sleep during night time. While resting and sleeping,
we do nothing and it is like switching off the engine of a machine which stops all activities. However, the human body does more than that during the time when we rest and sleep. Our human body recuperates and “repairs” itself. When we wake up, we feel fresh and are ready for the day’s challenges.
Nowadays, more and more people are suffering from insomnia; some do not even know the reason why they cannot sleep. That said, one major reason why people are having sleeplessness is because they have anxiety; they feel insecure as if their lives are being threatened and they have no words to describe the kind of fear they have.
Emotion can affect our sleep; we can have people who lose sleep because they are so worried about the situation they are in and some can be so happy till they forget to sleep. Among all, the most worrying is sleeplessness caused by anxiety and those suffering from it eventually resort to taking sleeping pills to help them make it through the night. However, taking pills does have the side effect and when he wakes up, he does not feel fresh…because it is not a natural form of sleep.
David who was always surrounded by problems, his life once threatened by the invading army of King Saul and was even betrayed by people close to him, said, “In peace I will both lie down and sleep.”, just like the baby falling asleep in his mother’s arms and need not have to worry about anything else. David did not resort to sleeping pills because he knew God, and by having God, he dwelt in safety.
By the same token, we who have Jesus will sleep in peace and can feel the warmth of His embrace even though we are surrounded by all sorts of problems. Jesus is our strength and will grant us peace. He knows our limitation and in petition to Him with thanksgiving, He will see us through all difficulties.