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My husband is a champion sleeper. He can doze off almost any time in any place. In the words of famous television detective, Monk, “it’s a blessing, and a curse.”
I, on the other hand, have an ongoing battle with sleep. Some nights it comes easily to me. Some nights, despite my exhaustion, sleep evades me. My mind rolls over the cares of the day, unfinished tasks and creative ideas that could wait until morning — but won’t. I often crawl back out of bed to write things down or wrap up loose ends.
There are other sleepless nights that I believe are God-ordained. What’s on my mind are people; people with physical, financial and spiritual needs. I begin to pray.
A prayer warrior, I am not. I seldom pause during the day to stop and have a nice, long chat with my Heavenly Father. So our nighttime conversations, when the house is quiet and all the distractions are silenced, are a haven. I pray for family and friends. I pray for our church and pastor. I pray for our nation and its leaders. I pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ living with the realities of harsh persecution and the dire lack of essential needs.
And I praise God. I praise Him for offering His Son, Jesus, as a sin sacrifice. I praise Him for His ongoing care and provision; a roof over my head, clothes on my back and daily bread (plus so much more). I praise Him for adopting me as His own child and preparing a place for me to live with Him for all eternity. With that praise comes a peace that allows me to drift off to sleep.
I’m not a morning person, so I seldom wake up giving praises to Jesus “as morning gilds the skies,” as this beautiful hymn suggests in its opening lines. Instead, I find myself clinging to these words from a later stanza:
When sleep her balm denies, My silent spirit sighs; May Jesus Christ be praised;
When evil thoughts molest, with this I shield my breast: May Jesus Christ be praised.
Morning, evening, throughout the day — all are the best time to praise our Savior. As the King James Version puts it in Psalm 22:3, God “inhabits the praise” of His people. It invites Him to dwell among us. It brings Him the glory He is due. In this act of gratitude, we find ourselves blessed, encouraged and filled with the joy of the Lord.
Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name;
Bring an offering and come before Him;
Worship the Lord in holy array. (1 Chronicles 16:28-29)