Topic:  The Sleep of the Beloved – Daily Treasure devotionals – Faithwheel.com 5 July    2022

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The Sleep of the Beloved

Elizabeth Turnage, Guest Writer

TODAY’S TREASURE

It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep (Psalm 127:2, ESV).

The tossing and turning of insomnia may insinuate itself along with crisis, leaving us longing for rest. My insomnia began when I was twelve and has never really given way to easy sleep. After a bicycle crash in which I shattered my elbow in twenty-five-ish places, I was placed in traction for three weeks and given narcotics to ease the pain. During this same season, a school friend died in a freak accident. Once I was released from the hospital, still wearing a cast on my arm, sleep stubbornly refused to come. Night after night, I lay awake, following the shadows cast by lights from a nearby convenience store, aroused by the noises of people coming and going.

Many nights I’ve passed since then, awake, praying, begging God to help me fall asleep. I must confess, in the weak moments of shadowy nights, I’ve occasionally wondered, “Does it mean that I am not one of his beloved, since he does not give me sleep?” I must also confess, though, that the Lord has never let me go an entire night without sleep. 

What God does give, and what Psalm 127 invites us to, is rest. Not only does he give it; he commands it (Exodus 20:8-11), because we need it. When we have suffered from danger and trauma, we need more than ever to heed the Lord’s invitation to rest. In seasons of recovery, we can become anxious and hyper-vigilant as we strive to restore order. The Psalms remind us of our reason to rest—our God is a mighty guard watching over us and keeping us:

The Lord who built the house (and created us) watches over the city and its people—us (Psalm 127:1). The Lord is our “keeper,” (Psalm 121:5), that is, someone who “exercise(s) great care over.”  He keeps us from “all evil,” keeps “our life,” and keeps our “going out and our coming in” (Psalm 121:7-8). He keeps us “from this time forth and forevermore.” And even when we can’t sleep, we have good company: “Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 127:4). 

Also Read: Open Heaven 5 July   2022 Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye –REMOVE FAITH KILLERS 

One day, our anxious toil will give way to the full rest of restoration: “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet” (1 Corinthians 15:52). As for me, I don’t know if there will be sleep in heaven, but I like to think so. I do know—in that day, the Father who keeps me will grant me rest even sweeter than the deepest sleep. 

Prayer

Lord, our Creator, and Keeper thank you for watching over us, for relieving us of any reason for anxiety. Help those of us who struggle to sleep; show us your watchful and protective presence. Most of all, help us to rest and trust in your kind and strong keeping. 

Further Encouragement

Read Psalms 121:1-8; 127:1-5; 131. 

Listen to “Sleepless Night” by Fernando Ortega.  

Reflection

When you struggle to sleep or rest, how does it help to know that the Lord is watching and keeping you? 

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