“When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.” Proverbs 3:24
Suggested Scripture readings – Proverbs 3
It is the middle of the night. All is quiet in the house. The family is all safe and sound in their beds. All that is, but one. He is not up walking around. As a matter of fact, he is tucked under his blanket with his head on his pillow. Appearances however are deceiving.In his mind he is very much awake. His stomach is in knots and he has perspiration on his face. His mind is on a problem that he can not solve. He is concerned because he does not see how he can possibly avoid the terrible result that is sure to come. He is worried and it is stealing his sleep. In fact, it woke him from a sound sleep and now it is keeping him awake. It is stealing not only his sleep but his faith, his joy, and eventually his health.
The writer of Proverbs was surely no stranger to this experience. We see in Proverbs 3:24, “When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.” The Proverbs are often the statement of the conclusion that the writer came to after having struggled with a problem. Here we learn that Solomon had found his answer in the wisdom of God. He tells us in verse 21, “Keep sound wisdom and discretion.” In the context he is speaking about the wisdom given by God. (vs. 19-21) By ordering his life and his thoughts in line with the wisdom of God he could, “walk in thy way safely.” The result is, “When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.” (vs. 24)
As he lay there that night it occurred to him that even if the Lord sent down his answer on a silver platter, he still could do nothing about the problem because it was 3 o’clock in the morning. He sought the wisdom of God by beginning to quote all the verses that he had memorized. This took his thoughts off the problem and placed them on God’s Word. This brought peace to his heart and gave strength to his soul. (Isaiah 26:3-4) As a result, the anxieties subsided and soon sleep again returned. Interestingly, the next day, when he faced the problem, he found that the Lord had already begun to solve it. Child of God, it is not God’s will that we endure the ravages of worry. For surely, “It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.” (Psalm 127:2) Let us learn to trust the Lord for His peace and to:
Fear not: and to sleep.
Isaiah 26: 3-4
“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the
LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength
[podcast]https://lifeabovefear.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/032-Fear-Not-to-Sleep.mp3[/podcast]
