In peace I will lie down

Dear Lord; Good morning Father.  First off Lord, let me apologize in advance.  Last night was rough, and I’m not terribly “with it” today I’m afraid.  As You well know, I’ve suffered with insomnia on and off since I was 12 years old.  Well, last night it came back in all fervor and I ended up only getting a few hours respite before having to start my day.

This was an odd bout of sleeplessness Father.  Usually, it simply manifests itself as my mind going a mile-a-minute and not being able to shut down.  Last night however, I also had physical symptoms as well; My heart was racing, my chest was tight and I felt overwhelmingly anxious.  I have no clue what brought it on, but it lasted for a good bit of the night.  I tried praying in the darkness, slow breathing techniques, and finally resorted to a sleeping pill but nothing seemed to calm my restless spirit.  Finally, plain old exhaustion took over and I passed out for a while.

It’s been ages since this has happened Lord, and I’d forgotten how unsettling it is.

This morning, I headed for Your “Instruction Manual” to see what wisdom I could glean about this recent development, and of course came away with some things to think about.

“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

Ok, I get it… Sleep is one of Your Gifts to us as well, and I need to remember that and Accept it from You (there’s that word of mine again…).

“In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety.” – Psalm 4:8

I obviously need to focus on this as well Lord.  With the turmoil in our lives today, we sometimes allow our worldly anxieties to overwhelm us, and I’m sure that contributed to the tumultuous night I had.  I need to let go of the day’s struggles, and dwell in Your Peace when I lay down.

Heavenly Father, please help my mind be in steadfast focus on Your Everlasting Peace.  May we all learn to leave our burdens at Your Feet, and Accept Your Calming Comfort in our lives.  Amen.

~Phather Phil