Pleasing God, Making Disciples of Jesus Christ

Sleep Well For All Is Well

PSALM 121:1-4 – I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.”

I don’t need to make a list of what keeps many people up late at night in a state of inward turmoil, anxiety, and stress. If I were to make a list, I am sure many of the things tempting me to be sleepless would make your list as well. But here is the thing to always remember. Christians are to be different. In fact, Christians are commanded to be different. Our unsaved neighbors and friends have every right to be insomniacs. They live in a scary world with scary things that are dangerous and quite frightening. And they have no God to confide in, rest upon, and cling to in those darkest of nights literally and emotionally. To further emphasize how different God’s people are to be in an anxiety-producing world, pay attention to two things about fearful anxiety.

First, Jesus commands us “don’t be anxious.” Three times in the Sermon on the Mount He makes this clear – Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble(Matthew 6:25, 31, 34).So, don’t give ourselves a pass by justifying being anxious. Jesus doesn’t. He commands us not to be and that means to be anxious is to disobedient to His command.

The second thing about fearful anxiety is what to do with it. Don’t hold onto it. Don’t take it to bed with us. Follow the direction of the Apostle Peter–Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you (1 Peter 5:6-7).Take all our anxieties “fishing” by casting them on the Lord. But unlike fishing, don’t reel them back in upon ourselves. Cast them to Him and leave them. Yes, that is hard which leads us to the help in today’s scripture.

When we got to bed tonight remember the Lord never sleeps or slumbers. He is constantly “on watch” not only in guiding all the affairs in this world but in protecting and providing for His people. He is our help in troubled times and in anxious moments. That doesn’t mean a trouble-free life but it does mean we may rest confidently that all is well for the Lord still reigns, and not only does He reign in the world but in the hearts of His people making anxious-free living possible. So, get a good night’s sleep tonight. Everything is under control.

PRAYER: “Father, help me not to fret about all that is happening in the world by resting in You who made the world.”

QUOTE: “Don’t stay awake battling anxiety over the crumbling of our world. Sleep well. All is well. Jesus still reigns.”

Because of Him,

Pastor Jim