Sleepless on Purpose

“Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word.” (Ps 119:148 AV)

 There are ways to have sleepless nights.  Then there are ways to have sleepless nights.  David determines to go without sleep that he might meditate upon the word of God.  David decides he can go without a little sleep if it means refreshing the soul by the word of God.  David writes these words while in distress.  In verse 146, the writer is asking for the salvation of God.  From what in particular, we do not know.  But we do know he hoped in the word of God to be the source of his comfort while seeking salvation from something or someone.

I know a bit about sleeplessness.  For better or worse, there have been many of those. Some for reasons of anticipation or joy.  Most, however, over anxiety, fear, guilt, or exhaustion.  It is during those sleepless nights our minds entertain all sorts of thoughts.  Most of these times are not productive at all.  When I was in my teen years, I worked at a pizzeria.  On the weekends, we were legally allowed to work until two in the morning.  I would get home around three.  However, my father had a hard and fast rule that we were to be up at breakfast time and ready for household chores.  Working at the pizzeria was not mandatory.  But our household responsibilities were.  He required we work part-time to pay for our share of car insurance and any additional needs we felt we had to have that he was not able to provide.  When I returned home from the restaurant, I was hyped on cokes and mountain dews.  Know that I had to get up in a few hours, I stressed about sleep.  I stressed so much that it became a self-fulfilling prophecy.  Sleep was precious and didn’t come easy.  Now, during my adult years, there are other worries.  There are other anxieties.  There are sleepless nights over the safety and success of my children.  There are sleepless nights over the health of my wife and myself.  There are sleepless nights over church folk and church growth.

We can take a page out of David’s life here and learn a lesson.  Prayer is certainly essential.  Equally essential is the word of God.  We can pass the hours, if we must, doing one of two things.  We can occupy our minds with whatever we can imagine.  Or, we can pass those hours meditating on the word.  It doesn’t necessarily have to be subject matter germane to our problem.  It could be anything that will occupy our minds with anything other than the anxieties which are causing the sleepless night.  We can meditate upon what it will be like when we arrive in glory.  This is what I did just the other night.  The Spirit brought to memory the passages in Revelation speaking of the glory of the Son and the Father being so bright there will be no need for the sun, moon, or stars.  Then I imagined arriving under such brightness.  I realized it was a real possibility that when I arrive in glory I will not be looking around at the glory that is new Jerusalem.  Rather, the glory and brightness of my Savior might gender the same response Moses had when the voice of God spoke from the burning bush or when Paul encountered Christ along the road to Damascus.  Fallen flay on one’s face with no desire to look up might be exactly what happens.  This brought me to Genesis chapter one wherein the word of God says, “Let there be light.”  If the Father and Son are brighter than any created light, what were they before Genesis chapter one?  If the God whom I cannot figure out and whose glory I cannot behold loves me, then He is more than capable to handle whatever I might be facing.