students of jesus

Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is get a good night’s sleep. No, really. Sleep is part of God’s plan for us--he invented it.

There are plenty of reasons to lose sleep. Not many of them are very good. Single moms would love to get more sleep. Others work two jobs or strange hours that conspire to break up their sleep. But most of us rob ourselves of God’s good intention for us--to sleep before Him, to rest in his presence.

We think we have mastered the clock, the sun, and our bodies. In the not too distant past, all the world moved to the rhythm of earth--the earth set in motion by God, who designed the days and nights to march in step, the tides to rise and fall, and his creation to find rest as a natural part of their being. Urban life has stolen sleep. Electricity has become a thief. And media, those Frankensteinian works of man, have turned us into the living dead.

Have you ever noticed the role of dreams in the Biblical narrative? The Holy Spirit inhabits our rest as much as our praise. We should do our part and trust him to do his: “In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—for he grants sleep to those he loves.” (Psalm 127:2) In my opinion we should embrace the spiritual discipline of sleep.