Hearing His Voice #274

I will bless the LORD who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me.

Psalm 16:7

In the pattern of Hebrew parallelism, these companion statements are meant to reflect the same idea. “The LORD . . . guides me” and “at night my heart instructs me” are two angles on the same truth. God speaks to us even while we sleep. In fact, He sometimes speaks to us more easily while we sleep, especially during those moments right before falling asleep and right after waking up, when our minds aren’t such vigilant watchdogs and allow the deep thoughts of the spirit and heart to come to the surface. When our own thoughts aren’t in control, God’s thoughts can flourish in us.

Some Christians see the mind as the rightful guardian of the spirit within us, but our minds can be as fallen as any other aspect of our selves. For the Holy Spirit to speak, the mind must let Him, and that happens often in the night. Inspiration comes to us in the very late and very early hours when we’re relaxed. Like computer software that downloads while the computer sits inactive, the Spirit pours truth into our inner being. God gets an inroad directly into the heart.

Pray as you lie down to sleep at night. Ask for revelations from the Spirit, inspired ideas that provide solutions to the situations in your life and those around you. Ask for dreams that give you insights into relational dynamics or pictures of God’s heart toward you and others. Let your imagination go to unexpected places and see what He shows you there. Take your night guidance seriously and listen to the instruction of the heart. Ask questions when you wake up—about discernment, about interpretation, about how God wants you to respond. Your Father has been speaking to you, even at night.

Lord, as I lie down to sleep, let Your Spirit guide my heart. Download truth into me, sing songs of deliverance over me, show me solutions to problems, open my mind to Your ideas. Give me spiritual breakthroughs, even as I sleep.