But his delight is
in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
Psalm 1:2 ESV
Do you struggle
with insomnia?
Ever since I hit
middle age, it seems like 3:00 a.m. calls my name, whether I want to hear it or
not. Many nights, I’m
wide awake with no reason. I’m not anxious, sick or troubled. I’m simply awake and unable to get right back to sleep.
This insomnia used
to annoy me, until I realized it held opportunity to draw me closer to God.
Here are three
ways you can meet with God in the night hours and enrich your relationship with
him.
1. Ask God to speak.
When Samuel was a
boy, God called out to him in the night. He thought Eli the priest was calling
for him, but Eli told him to say, “Speak, for your servant hears.” (1 Samuel
3:10 ESV). Then Samuel recognized and heard the Lord’s message to him in the
middle of the night.
You can also ask
God to speak to you in the night hours. He may use those quiet,
distraction-free times to speak unique messages to you and bring you special
comfort.
2. Meditate on God’s Word.
As the psalm for
today states, we can meditate on God’s Word at all times of the day or night. I
suggest that you keep a card by your bed with your weekly meditation verse.
If you wake up,
turn on the light for a few minutes so you don’t get too alert. Read the verse,
turn off the light, and then repeat it in your mind, savoring each word. This
meditation will bring you peace and help you fall back to sleep.
3. Pray.
Most of us want to
pray more often but don’t know when to do it. The night hours are an ideal time
for prayer. Pour your heart out to God when you can’t sleep. He is waiting for you
in the darkness. It’s a safe place to unburden your heart to him.
If you really can’t
get back to sleep, turn on the light and pray God’s Word back to him. This morning
I whispered all of Psalm 18 back to God in the form of a prayer. God takes delight
in hearing our voices repeat his words back to him. Pick a psalm to pray back
to God the next time you struggle with insomnia.
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3 Ways to Meet God in the Night Hours
Have a wonderful weekend!
Blessings and God's peace to you,
Photo from Canva.com
Reflection questions:
1. Which tip will help you most the next time you have insomnia?
2. What psalm will you use to pray back to God?
Ha. I actually woke up at 3:15am this morning! :) And didn't get back to sleep until around 5:30. I often recite memory verses in my head when I'm awake. And pray. And listen to podcasts. And occasionally read. That's a lot of time to take advantage of. :) Thanks for these encouraging tips, Sarah.
ReplyDeleteSuch wonderful tips. I do actually either wake up often or am not tired and up half the night. As I've aged and with retirement, I sometimes don't have as good a sleep schedule as I should. I like your ideas; especially the one about reciting scripture as I try to fall back to sleep.
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The divine mercy chaplet is my go to. On each of the ten beads, I insert names of family and friends, “for the sake of his sorrowful passion, have mercy on _____ and on the whole world
ReplyDeleteSarah, these are wonderful tips for those nights we wake up. From another perspective, sometimes our bodies change. My doctor upped my magnesium and gave me glycine. Those help me.
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