And His Sleep Left Him

A woman complained on Facebook that her life seemed backwards; she got up in the morning tired and went to bed at night wide awake. Does that sound familiar? How many times have you been robbed of a good night’s sleep because you just can’t shut your mind down?

The Bible tells us that king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had a hard time getting some rest. He remained awake at night, and when he did manage to go to sleep his dreams disturbed him. He “had dreams and his spirit was troubled and his sleep left him.” (Daniel 2:1) He complained a few years later, “I saw a dream and it made me fearful; and these fantasies as I lay on my bed and the visions in my mind kept alarming me.” (Dan.4:4-5)

Lots of things can affect sleep: pain and medical conditions, personal tragedies, or even too much coffee. It seems Nebuchadnezzar’s problem was that he didn’t know God and all the worries of his kingdom weighed on him. He was proud and arrogant. People like that think everything depends on them. No wonder they can’t sleep!

But if you believe in God and His care, sleep is much more peaceful. Half the things we worry about never really happen, and the other half can simply be handed over to God and his wisdom. David – another busy king – said, “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.” (Psalm 4:8).

Before you lie down at night take time to pray to God and tell Him, “Here, Lord, I hand all my worries over to you for the night.” Then tell your brain that it has no need to think about them. Oh, and make sure you thank God for accepting your worries.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

Are you sleeping well?

– Tim Johnson

A Shaky World

worldWhat a difficult time the world is having. We’ve been shocked to hear about soldiers killed senselessly in Ottawa and Saint-Jean-sur-Richeleau. Violence continues in Syria, and more girls have been kidnapped in Nigeria. The stock market took a hit with all the uncertainty around us. The bad news just seems to keep on coming. It causes us to feel anxiety, outrage and fear.

It would do us well to consider the tumultuous first century. Two Caesars are mentioned in the New Testament, with figurative mention of others (book of Revelation). Most were assassinated, throwing the empire into chaos. Two extensive famines are mentioned in the book of Acts and 1 Corinthians, motivating the church to raise emergency funds to help people out. Pagan religion opposed the gospel; there was violence against Christians. Many of the apostles were killed or exiled. The Judaizers were busy shaking up new congregations. It was not an easy time to live; the world seemed to be falling apart! Continue reading