Getting to Sleep

This post is fifth in the Psalm 127 series "Live Like a King."

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It is vain for you to rise up early,
To sit up late,
To eat the bread of sorrows;
For so He gives His beloved sleep.
~ Psalm 127:2 (NKJV)

Getting to sleep used to be a simple matter. Most nighttimes past, my head hit the pillow, sleep embraced me within moments, and my next conscious thought did not seep in until daylight.

During the last few years, sleep has become more of a tease. I'll play that game for up to an hour. Whether sleep eludes me when I go to bed, or a moment of wee-hour wakefulness grows into sixty, I refuse to stay in bed once an hour has elapsed.

Occasionally, I'll get up and attack a pressing task before taking another stab at logging some Z's. But I know in my heart that's not the way to go. So most often, I'll get up and read the Bible for an hour or two, then easily give myself to slumber. Without fail.

For in much wisdom is much grief,
And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
~ Ecclesiastes 1:18 (NKJV)

Wisdom and wealth—King Solomon possessed greater stores of them than any mortal before or since, gratuitously indulged in both, yet found no pleasure in his intemperance. As I've said before, Solomon carried Wisdom, but Wisdom did not carry Solomon.

So it is with me. And perhaps you. I forget or otherwise fail to consciously choose wisdom.

I have well learned that if I go to bed thinking about the Lord's goodness, getting to sleep comes as easily as breathing. But if thoughts prevail of those pressing tasks, or of the problems that seem to have me boxed in, my mind remains in this world rather than the world of sleep.

… for so He gives His beloved sleep …

Sure, I need to get the proper nutrition for the right hormones to bring on sleep. Though I'm one of those oddballs who can sleep about anywhere, an environment conducive to sleep is helpful when insomnia is a problem. But ultimately, getting to sleep by night is like getting productive by day.

Or, if you prefer Christian vernacular, getting to sleep is like getting fruitful.

When the focus is on me, when I indulge in cares about this world, when I rely on my own wisdom and knowledge to untangle a problem—all of them as the devil prefers—there is no peace.

When the focus is on my Lord, when I indulge in His Word, when I rely on the wisdom and guidance of the Spirit, there is perfect peace from the Prince of Peace.

You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You.
~ Isaiah 26:3 (NKJV)

It's all about You, Lord. It's all through You. Please remind us often. I love You. : )

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Copyright 2012, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.