Sweet Dreams

“For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul. Upon this I awaked, and beheld; and my sleep was sweet unto me.” (Jer 31:25-26 AV)

 

Verse twenty-five is the LORD speaking.  Verse twenty-six is the prophet speaking.  Have you ever thought how much sleeping is a waste of time?  I have.  Aside from my own need for rest, I see others sleeping and think there are eight to ten hours wasted doing nothing but laying there.  It really hits home when I watch a show that depicts someone sleeping.  They are getting ready for bed and I think, “now they have to wait a third of a day until they can begin anew to fix whatever situation needs fixing.  Being totally shut off from the world around you for a third of your life seems so inefficient.  Even my dog, who sleeps away far more than a third of his life, has things he could be doing.  One would even consider it a productive eight hours if we could use our minds the whole time.  Sort of like a half-comatose state where our bodies would not function, but our minds could use the time to process information and either problem solve, or create.  Perhaps there is something else going on in the wee hours of the night.

Exactly what happens when we sleep is often a mystery.  No doubt science has a biological explanation for everything that transpires.  It can explain the chemical operations of the brain, the cleansing of the body, and even the replenishment of the bloodstream.  Psychology can explain the substance of our dreams.  It can tell us what hidden fears or stresses our minds are dealing with as we sleep and dream the oddest of all events.  With all that man can explain, there is something which they cannot.  According to our passage, the LORD satiates the soul and replenishes the emotions.  To understand this a bit better, let us think for a moment about the word ‘satiate’.  Think of a sponge.  To satiate is to fill to capacity.  While a sponge is submerged in a pail of water, it is satiated.  It can hold no more water.  However, if brought out of the pail and wrung out, it is no longer satiated.  It must be drenched in order to be once again, satiated.  The Hebrew word means just that.   To be filled to capacity.  What a wonderful picture of what the LORD does as we sleep.  Something of which we are unaware until we awaken.

We need rest if for no other reason that the LORD can recharge our batteries.  This may seem like an odd devotion, but sleep is one-third of our lives.  Sleeping takes more time out of our life than eating, worshipping, or working.  Sleep is a major component of our lives and often, it is neglected.  I am reminded how important sleep is because of the handicap with which I was born.  I was born with narrow veins and capillaries in my brain.  This means it does not clean or toxins nearly as quickly or efficiently as a normal brain.  This happens during sleep.  Fatigue is my worst enemy.  If I do not get enough quality sleep, then I am severely disoriented, find it hard to communicate, and have balance issues.  As I age, seizures and strokes are very possible.  I need sleep!  What I can tell you is because of my situation, the results of rest are super pronounced.  There is a significant difference between seven to eight hours of deep sleep compared to five to six hours.  It is like night and day.  It is the difference between a few sips of cold water and gulping down as much ice water as one can take.  When the LORD satiates the soul and replenishes the emotions, He does so in the middle of the night that we might be refreshed to face a new day.  It is one of the many wonders of the hand of God of which we are hardly aware.  Praise be to God for His wonderful works to the children of men.