The Gift of Sleep

God grants special gifts every day.  Little do we realize all that He provides.  One of the most wonderful gifts God gives is sleep.  We live in a busy world.  God has designed sleep to renew the body and refresh the mind.

Psalm 127:2 says, “It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.”

Rarely do we appreciate the gift of sleep until it escapes us.  Studies show that over 60 million Americans report difficulty sleeping at least a few nights each week.  Anxious care disrupts all rest…including sleep.

Vance Havner, who went through a period of insomnia himself, told of an old bishop who read Psalm 121:4, “Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.”  He laid his Bible down and said, “Well, Lord, if You are sitting up with us there is no sense in my doing it.  Goodnight, Lord.”

Thank the Lord for the gift of sleep.  You can rest because He is working.

I remember as a boy memorizing a little poem:

“Every day is a fresh beginning, Every morn is the world made new; You who are weary of sorrow and sinning, Here is a beautiful hope for you, A hope for me and a hope for you.

“Ah the past things are past and over, The tasks are done, and the tears are shed. Yesterday’s errors let yesterday cover; Yesterday’s wounds, which smarted and bled, Are healed with the healing which night has shed.”

Dr. Frank Sells said that one of his nightly practices was to commit himself to the Lord and even to ask God’s blessings on his dreams through the night.  Leave this day with God.  Thank your Heavenly Father for the gift of sleep and rest in the truth that tomorrow is another new beginning. 

About Scott Pauley