Ever so often we all experience a restless night for reasons unknown to us. So we pass the time watching TV, or eat a peanut butter sandwich, drink a soda and enjoy potato chips. Sleepless nights can affect us in two ways:
• It can be negative. Problems we face seem bigger than normal. Anxious thoughts roam freely and our minds become out-of-control roaming over everything.
• Then there is the positive side to sleeplessness. The Psalmist knows all about sleepless nights. He writes: "If I am sleepless at midnight, I spend the hours in grateful reflection." (63:7 Message). Like the psalmist, we can use this time to lift our burdens and cares to God in prayer. In fact, our days are often filled with many distractions while it would be easier to pray while we lie awake in bed without any distractions.
Do you know that King David whom God loved and said that "he was a man after His own heart" suffered from insomnia at times? He wrote about it in several of the Psalms. However, he used it for his good. During those sleepless nights he meditated on God and His Word. As a result, God would speak to his heart and give him counsel and directives for himself and his work as king. He says: "The Lord's counsels are at night and gives me instructions." (Psalm 16:7)
So the next time you are tossing to and fro in bed and cannot sleep, get up and read the Bible and pray. One of those nights could be the night God may intervene in a problem area of your life and give you the solution you need.
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Editor's note: The Rev. Dr. Scott Stewart is the pastor of Pea Ridge United Methodist Church and Brightwater Methodist Church. The opinions expressed are those of the writer. He can be contacted at [email protected] or 479-659-9519.
Religion on 07/10/2019