AN ANCIENT SLEEP SECRET
Psalm 42:8 NLT
Through each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing His songs, praying to the God who gives me life.
Have you ever found yourself lying in bed unable to get to sleep, your heart is heavy, your thoughts so distracting you can’t shut off your mind to fall asleep?
Millions of people struggle every night to get a good night’s sleep. There are, of course, a variety of possible reasons. Their room is not cool enough. They keep an erratic bedtime schedule. They’re distracted by noise. They keep their phone in the bedroom with them. They drink caffeine after 11 AM every day. There’s too much light in their window. Their spouse keeps them awake. These are some of the reasons, all fixable by the way, that keep many people from getting a good night’s sleep.
But, there is one that few people have found an answer to. One that plagues many Christians. We wake up at night unable to fall back asleep because of vexing, distracting thoughts related to the heaviness, trials, and difficulties of our lives. We find it extremely difficult to shut our minds off, as our thoughts begin to fixate on specific things, or conversations, or events—things that make us bothered or angry. Soon, our emotions are all worked up and we’re laying there wide awake, but so tired and frustrated.
I have a very active mind and vivid imagination. I don’t just think about life deeply, but I also feel life deeply. This can be a curse and a blessing. At times, some of the grave injustices and traumas of the last 8 years have really impacted my sleep. Some years ago, while lying awake dealing with one of those episodes, I tried something I’d never done before. With my mind and in my heart, without using my audible voice, while lying in bed in the dark with my eyes closed, I began to sing “His Songs.” I sang songs from my old youth group days. I sang every scripture song I knew from days in Ames. I sang all the old hymns I sang in my youth. A wonderful thing happened. Since my mind and heart were fully engaged singing actual words, words that contained meaningful messages of truth, I was unable to fixate on all the other junk that had previously been keeping me awake. My mind literally could not focus on two things at once. Sometimes this lasted 30 minutes of singing this way, but it always helped me get back to sleep and put me in a far better frame of mind, and emotional place. It really works!
Let me encourage you—next time you struggle going to sleep, sing with your eyes closed and your mouth shut, while lying in your bed. Simply sing every single God song you know and see what happens!
Helping you become a Strong Disciple,
Because of Jesus,
Pastor Mark Darling
