Going To Sleep Right

“Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds.” (Ps 149:5 AV)

How I go to bed matters.  What I do before the LORD makes a difference.  Our hymnist is challenging us to go to bed with praise on our lips.  We can pout out our complaint.  God wants to hear what is in our hearts.  If we are in trouble, need encouragement, or are struggling in any way, the LORD cares and has an open ear.  If we need understanding, the Holy Spirit is ready to open our minds and hearts.  If we are seeking to figure out some puzzle in the word of God that has a direct application to life, the LORD is all over that.  If we are thinking about tomorrow and all that needs to be accomplished, or we are thinking of our loved ones who need Christ, or perhaps we or someone we love is going through serious health issues, Jesus cares.  Absolutely!  However, we cannot forget to praise the LORD for all His is and has done.  We cannot lose perspective.  We are the creation of an omnipotent God.  He deserves our praise and not merely our laundry lists of needs, anxieties, or a plethora of other things that make our prayers more about us and not about Him.

Evening is when the consequences of what we have done that day become evident.  We ache because we spent a few hours doing yard work.  All the bills that came in the mail burden us.  We are home from our appointments and not we must plan accordingly.  The dishes are all done, but we know it starts all over again tomorrow.  Our eyes are tired from reading and studying.  We go to bed because we are tired.  We go to bed because we are tired, not because we are refreshed.  Going to bed tired lends to thoughts of business and not thoughts of reflection on what God has done.  This is our lot.  This is what we are.  However, to praise the LORD is a choice.  It means we have to shut down that which influences us to seek God’s intervention and leave it at that.  We have to lay all our burdens at the foot of the cross and end our day by thanking God for all He is and has done.  Who knows?  Maybe our sleep will be far deeper and effective.

What we dream about reflects what is foremost on our minds.  If we are anxious, it will show up in our dreams.  If we are elated, it will also manifest in our dreams.  A person who constantly had bad dreams is a person who has not gone to bed praising God for all He is and has done.  A person who cannot get a restful sleep is the person who had not fallen asleep with the goodness of God as the last point of meditation.   Our Psalmist has a brilliant piece of advice.  Perhaps if we fall off to slumber with the memories of what God is and has done, then our rest will be effective.  Here’s a thought.  What if we were to pass away in our sleep and the last thing we did before we fell asleep was to pour out our complaints without ending with praise?  Then we met the LORD!  Rather, what if we praised the LORD and the next thing that happened was our appearance in His presence?  That would be far better.  So, go off to sleep as though you will wake up in heaven and your rest we be far sweeter.