A go-to response to insomnia typically involves a snack and a TV remote, but there are better ways to get real rest and wake up feeling refreshed. Jeff has some advice for those who have trouble sleeping, and it all comes from Scripture!
The topic of sleep is a recurring theme in the Bible, and each verse in this episode provides an instruction about how to quiet the mind and get the rest we crave.
Snippet from the Show
Worry is where you pay today for something that could possibly happen tomorrow. It keeps us up at night. But Matthew 6:27 says, “do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on.”
SHOWNOTES
Daniel 2:1 – In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnez′zar, Nebuchadnez′zar had dreams; and his spirit was troubled, and his sleep left him.
Psalm 121:3-4 – He will not let your foot be moved, he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
Matthew 8:23-24 – And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep.
Proverbs 6:9-11 – How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a vagabond, and want like an armed man.
Proverbs 20:13 – Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread.
What causes sleeplessness?
- Worry
- Psalm 127:2 – It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.
- Worry is paying today for what might happen tomorrow.
- Anxiety
- Sin
- Pope John Paul II – Sin is spiritual suicide
- Psalm 36:4 – He plots mischief while on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good
- Proverbs 4:14-16 – Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil men. Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on. For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made some one stumble.
- Terror
- Drinking at night
- Diet (Caffeine, full stomach)
- TV/Electronics with screens
- Social Media
Solutions for insomnia:
- Seek first the kingdom
- Direct your heart to Jesus rather than your circumstances
- Matthew 6:25-27 – “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life?”
- Matthew 26:32-33 – For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.
- Proverbs 3:24-26 – If you sit down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Do not be afraid of sudden panic, or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes; for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.
- Pray if you are having trouble sleeping
- Philippians 4:6-7 – Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
- Realize the Lord protects us
- Psalm 91:1-5 – He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, who abides in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence; he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day,
- The Lord sustains you
- Psalm 3:5 – I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the Lord sustains me.
- Psalm 4:8 – In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for thou alone, O Lord, makest me dwell in safety.
- Honest day’s work
- Ecclesiastes 5:12 – Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much; but the surfeit of the rich will not let him sleep.
- A Clean Conscience
- Establish a healthy routine
- Psalm 119:62 – At midnight I rise to praise thee, because of thy righteous ordinances.
Psalm 23 – The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want; he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies; thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Matthew 11:28-30 – “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Resources in this Episode
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