Sweet Sleep

For a very very long time I have been having a hard time sleeping. When I did sleep it was usually the restless kind that made me feel like I hadn't slept even though I had. I'd toss and turn all night and not want to get up in the morning.

Lately I was getting really sick of this pattern and have been discussing it with my husband and seeking God as to what might be the reason behind this issue. I remembered one of the teachers in the For My Life class that I had recently attended at Be in Health Ministries, mentioning something about having sweet sleep when you are able to lay down your fears and trust in God. From that I had started reflecting on the scripture that says: When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and they sleep shall be sweet. Proverbs 3:24. So I figured that all I had to do was overcome fear. So I began to strive to work out my fears but they only overwhelmed me. Another scripture that I started thinking on says: Thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Isaiah 26:3

I knew I didn't have perfect peace in fact I felt like I was going insane. I also knew that although I wanted to and tried and sometimes was even able to for a short time, I had a hard time trusting in God and not listening to the fears that seemed so loud in my head. Then recently my husband brought home one of the 7000 Project Journals from Be in Health where he works. On the last page there was a section about failure to fast and take time out for God being a possible block to healing. I remembered in that moment the class on Blocks to Healing in the For My Life class and how I had come across that particular one and intentionally bypassed it because something in me hadn't wanted to hear that. This time I was all ears (0r eyes because I was reading) and my heart was open to the idea and I was convicted that I really had not been making any effort to even talk to God on a daily basis lately. I was letting life get in the way and excusing myself because I was "too busy." I thought that a day of fasting would perhaps get me back on track with my relationship with God.

Another thing that article said was that fasting wasn't intended for us to get things from God but for us to get with God and draw closer to Him. In that day every time I felt hungry it was a physical reminder to get with God either by talking to Him or by reading His Word. It really helped to restore something in my heart that had felt was breached for a long time with Him. It was a really good day and guess what happened that night. I slept! Soundly and peacefully! Yup I finally realized, the key to learning to trust God and to overcome fear is to take time out for Him and keep in relationship with Him.

When you think about it, you are hopefully in relationship with the people you trust most. Why should it be any different with God? Some times in order for me to learn why He asks us to do something I have to fall down a bit so that He can grow in me the realization of how much I need Him and learn so that I can be strongly rooted in my faith.