“When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.” Proverbs 3:24
I once saw a newspaper comic with a guy laying down in bed and around him were several quote bubbles that said things like… “Remember that bully that pushed you down into the mud in second grade?... Remember your electric bill that’s due tomorrow?... Remember that time you were talking bad about your boss and didn’t know he was standing behind you?” At the bottom of the comic were the words, “Bob quickly regretted purchasing the memory foam mattress.”
Most of us can relate to Bob’s plight, but unfortunately, we can’t always blame it on the kind of mattress we sleep on. Fear, anxiety, stress and sadness can often steal our sleep, leaving us functioning at a much lower capacity than normal and ingesting ungodly amounts of caffeine. Then because of all the caffeine we’ve had that day, sleep then eludes us the next night as well. And so, the cycle continues.
Thankfully, God has provided a way for His children to have a great night’s sleep no matter what circumstances they may face. This was a fact that I learned quite well as a child when I would lay there with eyes wide open imagining what monsters or bad guys might be lurking in my closet or under my bed. The thoughts and fears that keep me awake have changed as I’ve grown, but the words that brought peace and comfort have never changed…. “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deut. 31:8).
When a person gets a full grasp of who God is in all His omnipresent, loving, protecting, forgiving, powerful character and places their trust in who He says He is, their life will reflect the words of the Proverb: “When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet” (Proverbs 3:24). Whether it is a childlike fear of what lurks in the dark, the anxiety that comes from the daily stress of adulting, or regrets from mistakes you’ve made, nothing can steal your peace, joy, or sleep when those worries are placed in the hands of God.
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