Insomnia

This is something that is a daily struggle for me. I know for a lot of mothers, and working individuals, this can be an ordinary occurrence.

Once I have resigned myself to the fact that I won't be going to sleep, I either read, pray, or write.

Sleep is SO important. It allows your body, and mind, to recover. It gives you a respite from day to day activities. When you can't sleep, because your body physically will not shut down, or your head won't shut up, it's a problem! I can't sleep for both of these reasons. 

I did some digging and found that the Bible, especially Proverbs and Psalms, have a few things to say on sleep and the importance of sleep. 

Proverbs 3:24 (NIV) When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

Psalm 4:8 (Amplified) In peace I will lie down and sleep, for You, Lord, alone make me dwell in safety and confident trust.

As someone who deals with anxiety on a daily basis, that last verse just grabs me. The Lord will keep me in safety and in his confident trust. How beautiful and poignant is that? But it also makes me sad that I can't sleep! Is it because my mind and body refuse to feel safe in the grace of our Lord, or is it all out of balance in general? But I also realized, in those moments of wake/sleep, when I'm in a state of seemingly never ending insomnia, I feel closer to God. I pray, I read, I spend time thinking over passages or seeking out authors of Christian literature. I just feel his presence even more so in those moments. 

There are also quite a few voices that follow along the lines of "and he was awoken by the Lord and [gift/lesson bestowed] on him."


God often woke crucial people in the Bible by waking them from sleep, or stating that he was "waking them up" in a metaphorical sense. When Jesus brought Lazarus back from the dead, he told his disciples, and Lazarus's family that he was asleep and that he would wake him up. (John 11)

I find it interesting how transformative sleep is both with our faith and our health. We often use sleep as a delay in making a big decision by saying "let me sleep on it." We will pray about the decision, then go to sleep and maybe pray some more. 

So maybe my insomnia is a double edged sword. On one hand, sleep would be nice to allow my body and mind to recover. But some nights, I need that quiet, alone time with the Lord to pray and read. 

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (AMP)

To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven:2 A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted,3 A time to kill and a time to heal, a time to break down and a time to build up,4 A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,5 A time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,6 A time to get and a time to lose, a time to keep and a time to cast away,7 A time to rend and a time to sew, a time to keep silence and a time to speak,8 A time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.