Work By Day And Sleep By Night

I will bless the LORD who has given me counsel; my heart also instructs me in the night seasons. I have set the LORD always before me.

Psalm 16:7-8

Martin Luther once complained, “When I go to bed, the devil is always waiting for me. When he begins to plague me, I give him this answer: ‘Devil, I must sleep. That’s God’s command. Work by day. Sleep by night. So go away.’”^a

It’s important to get the rest we need, and a simple faith in the Lord helps us relax and rest. Remember Psalm 4:8: “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.”

But when we can’t sleep, we can pray. We can turn on the light and reassure ourselves by reading God’s Word. We can meditate on Scripture. We can sing a hymn. The television is a bad friend for the wee hours and is best avoided. Here’s a better option: “When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice” (Psalm 63:6-7).

Have you noticed that if you go to sleep with the thought of Him whom your soul loveth, you waken—at least often it is so—with some little word from Him, a verse from His Book, or a hymn, or just a simple word that tells you nothing new, but somehow helps?

AMY CARMICHAEL^b