Sleep is something that takes over and invades your awareness whether you like it or not.”
–Nathan West (Haunted West)
“I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, until I find a place for the LORD…”
“I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, until I find a place for the LORD…”
–Psalm 132:4-5 (NKJV)
———————————-
Have you ever had trouble staying awake? I remember one recruit that was caught sleeping while on guard duty in Basic Training. My, oh my, did he receive some special instructions from the D.I. Thanksgiving meal, it will surely bring on the heaviness of the eyelids. Perhaps while driving you have felt yourself running off the road and those little rumble strips brought you out of your slumber. They not only gave you a little tingle, but they quickly awakened you. Sleeping is vital to our well-being, however, to fall asleep at the wrong time could be dangerous.
At night, when I lay on my bed I try to always pray, I fall asleep. In fact, in my life I have found that if a person needs sleep they should start praying. It used to really bother me, but I have read that I’m in good company. Luke writes, “But Peter and those with him [James and John] were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him.” (9:32, NKJV) Matthew doesn’t say that they were sleeping but he does bring out a very good point, “When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.” (17:8, NKJV)
Look again at the verse from Luke, “when they were fully awake, they saw His glory…” Yes, God often gives us blessed sleep, peaceful sleep; it is refreshing to the body as well as to the soul. But…notice here, “when they were fully awake.” I want to shout at myself as I write this–wake up, oh my soul! We cannot work while we sleep, we cannot further the kingdom while we sleep. We cannot be faithful or work any acts of faith while we sleep. George Matheson proclaims, “It is from my waking soul, from my reasoning soul, from my prudent and poising and pondering soul that He values the expression of my faith.”
I have seen where I am going through God’s Word. I have known whom I have believed. It is this seeing and knowing–my experience–that I can trust in God. Yes, now I see only as “through a glass darkly” (1 Corinthians 13:12, KJV) or as the NKJV translates it, “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face…” I know, I reason, and I believe the words of John, “Beloved, now we are the children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” (1 John 3:2, NKJV) Wake up–let the rumble strips of the Holy Spirit awaken you–to see only Jesus.
There are times to sleep; times when the body needs to be rejuvenated. Let me say here, beware of spiritual sleep, which can bring on physical sleep. The Garden, that place where Jesus agonized tells us of these three close disciples who were sleeping. If Jesus had any close friends it was Peter, James, and John. But here, in His time of greatest need, they were asleep. Notice the words written in Matthew. Jesus had already moved away from his disciples and had been praying. “Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, ‘What? Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”… And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then He came to His disciples and said to them. ‘Are you still sleeping and resting?…'” (Matthew 26:40-41,43-45 NKJV)
Yes, we need a “little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,” (Proverbs 24:33, NKJV) but don’t overdo it. Jesus says that He had to be busy while it was day and that admonition follows on down to us for “the night is coming when no one can work.” (John 9:4, NKJV) But remember, it is when we are fully awake that we can look up to Jesus and fully see Him in His glory.
———————————-
Have you ever had trouble staying awake? I remember one recruit that was caught sleeping while on guard duty in Basic Training. My, oh my, did he receive some special instructions from the D.I. Thanksgiving meal, it will surely bring on the heaviness of the eyelids. Perhaps while driving you have felt yourself running off the road and those little rumble strips brought you out of your slumber. They not only gave you a little tingle, but they quickly awakened you. Sleeping is vital to our well-being, however, to fall asleep at the wrong time could be dangerous.
At night, when I lay on my bed I try to always pray, I fall asleep. In fact, in my life I have found that if a person needs sleep they should start praying. It used to really bother me, but I have read that I’m in good company. Luke writes, “But Peter and those with him [James and John] were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him.” (9:32, NKJV) Matthew doesn’t say that they were sleeping but he does bring out a very good point, “When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.” (17:8, NKJV)
Look again at the verse from Luke, “when they were fully awake, they saw His glory…” Yes, God often gives us blessed sleep, peaceful sleep; it is refreshing to the body as well as to the soul. But…notice here, “when they were fully awake.” I want to shout at myself as I write this–wake up, oh my soul! We cannot work while we sleep, we cannot further the kingdom while we sleep. We cannot be faithful or work any acts of faith while we sleep. George Matheson proclaims, “It is from my waking soul, from my reasoning soul, from my prudent and poising and pondering soul that He values the expression of my faith.”
I have seen where I am going through God’s Word. I have known whom I have believed. It is this seeing and knowing–my experience–that I can trust in God. Yes, now I see only as “through a glass darkly” (1 Corinthians 13:12, KJV) or as the NKJV translates it, “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face…” I know, I reason, and I believe the words of John, “Beloved, now we are the children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” (1 John 3:2, NKJV) Wake up–let the rumble strips of the Holy Spirit awaken you–to see only Jesus.
There are times to sleep; times when the body needs to be rejuvenated. Let me say here, beware of spiritual sleep, which can bring on physical sleep. The Garden, that place where Jesus agonized tells us of these three close disciples who were sleeping. If Jesus had any close friends it was Peter, James, and John. But here, in His time of greatest need, they were asleep. Notice the words written in Matthew. Jesus had already moved away from his disciples and had been praying. “Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, ‘What? Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”… And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then He came to His disciples and said to them. ‘Are you still sleeping and resting?…'” (Matthew 26:40-41,43-45 NKJV)
Yes, we need a “little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,” (Proverbs 24:33, NKJV) but don’t overdo it. Jesus says that He had to be busy while it was day and that admonition follows on down to us for “the night is coming when no one can work.” (John 9:4, NKJV) But remember, it is when we are fully awake that we can look up to Jesus and fully see Him in His glory.