In the Night

I come from a long line of great sleepers....
At least I think I do, I've been sleeping. I don't do "no sleeping" graciously and am not very patient when non-sleepers interrupt my sleeping. 

But, I'm learning that bouts of sleeplessness will hit everyone at some time or another....

Recently sleeplessness has hit my home a bit. What is it about night time that makes everything seem harder to manage? Darkness seems to usher in fear and loneliness that is easier to fight come morning. The truth is that dawn always comes, but in the middle of the night it can seem so far away. If you struggle in the night, you aren't alone. The psalmists did too. Wanna see?

Psalm 4:8

In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.

Psalm 92:1-2 

It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night….

Psalm 3:1-5

Lord, how many are my foes!
 How many rise up against me!

Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him. But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.

Psalm 74:16

The day is yours, and yours also the night;
 you established the sun and moon.

Psalm 16:7-9

I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
 With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure…

Psalm 63:6-8

On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.

Psalm 42:8

By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.

Today I learned that the word "night" in these passages comes from a Hebrew word which means "a twisting away of the light, when the light holds back, darkness set in. In a figurative sense it can mean ominous."  The definition goes on.... "However, since God created both light and darkness, both are good. God does not sleep during the night...Each day and night is a regular reminder of His covenant with mankind. Night is like day to God." {Has there ever been a more beautiful however?}

Night twists us up and feels ominous as if the light could be held back by dark. If you've ever lit a candle in a dark room then you've seen the limited power of darkness....its only strength is the absence of light. 

At night we need to remember Light. In our sleepy neediness and exhaustion we are prone to forget that God created night, so it's good. It slips our mind that He doesn't leave us alone at night or ever (Deuteronomy 31:8), and since light dwells with Him (Daniel 2:22), night is always full of our God (Psalm 139:11-12) who never sleeps (Psalm 121:4). 

I'm not so naive to imagine that all of our sleep issues are solved easily. But, could it be that rehearsing Truth at night will help our thoughts and emotions to stay steady? Could we believe and rest, knowing we are tightly held and surrounded by Light?

Saw this from Marilyn Meberg on twitter while these night-time thoughts were rolling around in my heart.
Don't you love this?

I hope these verses are an encouragement to you. What verses do you claim when you can't sleep?



Definition came from: 
The Complete Word Study Old Testament - King James Version, Warren Baker, General Editor, published by AMG Publishers 1994, page 2328.