Proverbs 3:24 When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. 25 Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. 26 For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.
This passage of scripture tells us that the Lord promises restful sleep to those who are in Christ Jesus. Sleep is of critical importance to all of our bodily functions, and as a matter of fact, a good night's rest is much more important in the process of weight-loss than many people realize. Indeed, one of the prominent reasons for weight gain is a lack of proper sleep.
Many people believe that God is only concerned about salvation and praise and spiritual things, and thus they fail to bring Him into every practical experience of life. But the Bible shows us that Christ takes a deep interest even in what we might consider the minute details of our daily experience. For instance, the scriptures tell us that God is interested in our health, our diet, our debts, our shoes, our mortgage, our thoughts, our clothes, our tears, our hair, and even when we die, God takes a very deep interest in our demise. Let's read:
Luke 12:6 Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? 7 But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.
Psalms 116:15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.
And we can go on and on, however, we must be aware of some of the common causes of insomnia mentioned in the Bible, for there are certain conditions of the mind that arise, or that are harbored, that tend to rob us of a good night's rest. Prominent among these are evil thoughts, desires, and practices that as a rule, interfere with restful sleep. Let's read:
Proverbs 4:14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. 15 Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away. 16 For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall. 17 For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.
When Christians deliberately choose to socialize on a casual basis with those who are not bent on doing any good, evil thoughts are suggested to their minds and after a while, take root in our conscience to bear fruit in actions that are diabolically opposed to righteousness. That's why even though we are to mingle with all people with the purpose of seeking their eternal good and salvation, yet God in His wisdom warns us to be careful of the close intimate companions that we choose, for as the saying goes, birds of a feather will tend to flock together. Let's read:
Proverbs 1:10 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. 11 If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: 12 Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: 13 We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: 14 Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse: 15 My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: 16 For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.
Another cause of insomnia is the undue concern about the perishable things of life, including wealth, 401k's and Ira's etc. While these things are good in their legitimate sphere, the recent recession showed us very vividly, the results of becoming too absorbed by these issues to the neglect of our soul's salvation. Many people spent sleepless nights worrying about their investments, and many others committed suicide when they realized that their financial world had crashed with the markets. Let's read:
Ecclesiastes 5:12 The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep. 13 There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.
Many Christians are wearing their life away in the pursuit of earthly treasure, working at several jobs in order to have the nicer things in life. Many others work very late every day, and thus allow the mundane things of life to take preeminence over eternal interests. Even though God is the one who blesses us with the abundance of all things, yet it is never His will that the management of the temporal should take precedence over the spiritual aspects of our being. In other words, God desires that a correct balance be struck between both aspects so that we can run for the long haul without wearing ourselves thin. This fine balancing of our lives, is what is alluded to in the third book of John. Let's read:
3rd John 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture that should encourage us to take the restful sleep that the Lord is more than willing to give, and if we do, we will find that the spiritual, mental, physical, social, and financial aspects of life will fall into their rightful place, as we continue to trust in God's wise instructions. Let's read:
Psalms 127:2 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.
May this promise find fulfillment in our lives as we begin by taking the necessary six to eight hours of restful sleep that's needed for its fulfillment. "Good night" and God bless!