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SPEAKING TO THE SOUL

I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety, for the Lord was watching over me. I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies who surround me on every side.
Psalm 3:5-6 NLT

Sleeping well is supposed to be a sign of a clear conscience. Scientists recently identified the best guarantee of a good night’s sleep was having something worth getting up for the next day. The key to a happy life is purposefulness, they report. Fortunately, the two are related for I can confidently lay down to sleep knowing that whatever happens overnight, however traumatic my problems, God is the sole guarantee that I shall prosper within my circumstances.

When caring for my first wife, I was amazed that we both unearthed God’s purpose for us individually and as a couple through the journey we shared. I had assumed trouble was the enemy, to be avoided at all costs. Yet, here we were, up to our necks in trouble, when we realised that our feet could find solid rock upon which to stand. What appeared meant for our destruction proved to have been sent for our development.

The enemy, and they are myriad in this verse, is all the thoughts that attempt to squeeze our minds through fear, disappointment, regret and resentment. These rob us of peace of mind. Sleep is found in fits and starts, for our mind is troubled and our disposition influenced by its stream of consciousness.

It took me some learning, and I still get distracted by my perception of external threats and lose sleep. Yet, I am far better at pausing and acknowledging God’s love and presence with me. Now I can rest and not wrestle with the ferocity of the storm.

Resting in God in the most painful of life’s experiences is tough. Sickness, betrayal, loss, the list is endless. Yet, God is present for you in the worst of life’s experiences, not offering candy-coated solutions that satisfy the senses but a promise of solidarity and presence throughout.

QUESTION

How well do you sleep?

PRAYER
I take my stand with you, recognising that life is tough, but I can choose to rest in God and therefore sleep well.


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