Satisfying Sleep

Psalms 127:2 It is vain for you to rise up early, To retire late, To eat the bread of painful labors; For He gives to His beloved [even in his] sleep. (NAS)

Sleep is as necessary to life as is eating. It allows the mind time to process the days events, gives the body opportunity to rejuvenate, the emotions are given some space to sort themselves out, so it is good for body soul and spirit. That is, if you have satisfying sleep. Without it we are as grumpy as two year olds, and we find that because we had fitful sleep we still have the same problems, but now we have even less strength to deal with them.


Charles Spurgeon described the dynamics of a stressed out mind at bed time, with word pictures better than I could ever attain to:

"You imagine if you fix your mind upon a certain subject until it shall engross your attention, you will then sleep; but you find yourself unable to do so. Ten thousand things drive through your brain as if the whole earth were agitated before you. You see all things you ever beheld dancing in a wild phantasmagoria before your eyes. You close your eyes, but still you see; and there be things in your ear and head, and brain,which will not let you sleep."

Hard work and hard worrying will have you eating what the text above calls the bread of painful labors. If you never learn how to process stress you will wind up sleepless in Seattle, turning to drugs, cranky, wore out, and nigh on to a nervous breakdown.

The bible has some sound advice that has stood the test of time, and helped many a weary pilgrim. First it tells us that worry is useless. (Mt. 6:27-33) Worry is not capable of doing anything to improve your situation, all it can do is rob you of strength, and take the wind out of your sails. In short it makes things worse.

The second piece of advice is to cast your care upon Him, because He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7) I am not a very good fisherman. Whenever I cast a line out, I pull it in a few seconds later and see if I caught anything. That is not how its done, I know it, and that is why I hardly go fishing, I don't have the patience for it. Being aware of that part of my personality has helped me to realize I can't be the same way with prayer. You can't pray and then 2 minutes later say, "where's my answer?" That is not how it works (usually). Like the song says, take your burdens to the Lord and leave them there. Easier said then done, unless of course you REALLY DO TRUST the person you are leaving them with. Keep your fire burning, get rid of the weights that would dampen it.

Anticipation. The thing was true, but the time appointed was long.

 Anticipation

Dainel 10:1 ...and the thing was true, but the time appointed was long...

When you are enjoying life and having fun, time flies. But when we are looking forward to something, or really need something to happen, time seems to drag on and on, and becomes an enemy to our hopes and aspirations.

In my journey with God, there are times I had to walk down a long dark hallway, though surrounded by family and friends. Life doesn't always live up to our expectations, or seem to care one whit about our time schedule. In seasons like that I have often been cheered on by a promise from God. David, the Lord's giant killer, must have felt the same when he penned the following:

Psalms 119:49 Remember the word to Thy servant, In which Thou hast made me hope.
Psalms 119:50 This is my comfort in my affliction, That Thy word has revived me. (NAS)

He says the promise given him aroused hope and even revived him back from the brink of despair. Here it is also in another translation :

Psalms 119:50 These words hold me up in bad times; yes, your promises rejuvenate me.
Psalms 119:51 The insolent ridicule me without mercy, but I don’t budge from your revelation. (MSG)

David is recounting a promise that was given to him in a dark place that served to cheer him on. He called it a comfort in his affliction and something that rekindled the spark of life, that had grown dim. A promise can give you strength to hold on, it can lift you out of depression, it can dispel dark clouds of doubt, bring you up from the bed of affliction, it can revive dying embers of faith. A promise can hold you together when your mind feels like it is going to tear apart.

Is there a job for which you are longing, a breakthrough, a relationship?, the more dear it is to you the more agonizing wait time can seem to be. If you don't have a promise, ask God, He is a master at giving hope to the hopeless. If you have a promise don't let anything or anyone steal it from you.

I like the wording of v. 51 in the message where David is saying that he was being ridiculed and that is the sentiment of the KJV version also: ...The proud have had me greatly in derision... The idea seems to be that others may have been aware of the promise David claimed to have from God, and were mocking him because it hadn't yet been fulfilled. Thus it has been with all who have had a promise from God. If that describes you, I encourage you to do what David did, he used the promise as a solid argument to make for a plea for its fulfillment. God you told me something in a dark time, and it inspired me with hope, when I had none. That hope is the proof I carry inside myself that it was a true word from you, your word says hope deferred makes the heart sick, won't you still the voice of the mockers and bring to fruition what you promised, for I place my trust in You.

Sometimes as the prophet Daniel found out, a thing may be true, but the time appointed is long. The passing of time can never invalidate the word of the One who is always true. We shall reap if we do not faint. (Galations 6:9)               Keep the fire burning.