Fearless Sleep

fear

I am inwardly fashioned for faith, not fear. Faith subdues fear every time.

 

A long day comes to a close. The TV is off. The book is bookmarked and closed. The lights have been extinguished and even the normal house ‘sighs and creaks’ seem muted as you lay your head on the pillow.

But even with the physical world shutting down for a night of much needed rest, the mind isn’t quite ready.

Disquiet of another sort begins sneaking in, stealing time meant for sleep.

Anxious thought vie for your attention. Worry begins nibbling around the edges of your spirit.

  • Is that mole changing color and shape?
  • Is my daughter’s recent sullenness a sign of her developing bad friends in school?
  • What if it’s true that the market will soon take a nosedive, pulling my IRA with it? 

But how do these thoughts fit in with that verse that talks about God and sleep? “It’s useless to rise early and go to bed late, and work your worried fingers to the bone. Don’t you know he enjoys giving rest to those he loves?” Psalm 127:2 The Message   How do I turn fear off and faith on?

We must realize that to the natural man, fear is the usual soil of the soul. Fear seems rational in the face of the questions above. But fear is not the native soil of the Christian’s life … it is faith.

It’s faith in the goodness of God. It’s faith in his ability to keep, provide and protect. It’s faith in his great plans for each of us. It’s faith that He alone knows the future and how to get us there.

Psalm 112:7,8 in the Living Bible paraphrase paints a much needed solution to the question of fear.  (The Godly person) … “does not fear bad news, nor live in dread of what may happen. For he is settled in his mind that Jehovah will take care of him. That is why he is not afraid but can calmly face his foes.” 

Here we are given the secret of laying our fears and anxieties down at the end of the day (or during the day if they arrive then!) Our frenetic fears come face to face with our God and guess who has to win!

“I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety, for the Lord was watching over me.

Psalm 3:5 New Living Translation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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