A Pastor’s Thoughts: A Good Night’s Sleep – Psalm 3

[By Pastor Wayne Sibrava, Living Water Baptist Church]

Insomnia is a common sleep disorder characterized by difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up too early. This leads to fatigue, mood changes, and impaired daytime functioning. There are many causes of insomnia, including stress, anxiety, medical conditions, poor sleep habits, mental health disorders, and the use of certain substances. None of these should be taken lightly. 

While there are medical answers, there are also spiritual ways to get a good night’s sleep. Psalm 3 is a case study in how to do just that. 

In this Psalm, King David is on the run, in the midst of a battle for his life. The fact of the matter is that his own son, Absalom, had stolen the kingdom from him, and was seeking to kill his father. I don’t know of anyone who has ever tried to kill me; however, having my own son try to kill me would be the worst of all circumstances. This is exactly where David found himself. 

As this true story goes on, there is betrayal, deception, suicide, and ultimately the death of Absalom. 

In the midst of this battle, the Bible tells something amazing about David: Psalm 3:5 (NLT) 5 I lay down and slept; yet I woke up in safety, for the Lord was watching over me. 

The preceding verses to this give indication of how David had a good night’s sleep: Psalm 3:3–4 (NLT) 3 But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high. 4 I cried out to the Lord, and He answered me from His holy mountain. 

David’s good night’s sleep was the result of his implicit trust in God. Implicit trust means totally depending on God in every way, in one’s soul. 

Two days last week, I woke early; one day at 3:30 a.m. and another at 5:00 a.m. I decided that I would read Scripture and meditate. My soul was utterly refreshed. Taking God seriously and taking Him at His Word became a soothing and refreshing time for me. God helped me to blot out the noise that was causing unrest in my soul. 

I do realize that a person may need medical intervention. I always encourage people that, oftentimes, the best thing to do is to have an annual physical examination. Yet, many of our physical problems are brought on by our own poor decisions. 

Last week, I had the high honor of presiding over a wedding of a young couple in my church. This ceremony was preceded by four hours of counseling in the weeks ahead of their wedding. Because the most important decision that a person can make is to know for sure that when they die that they go to heaven, I first made sure the couple had confessed their sins and trusted in Jesus as their Lord. 

Because this is life’s most important decision, matters, including a good night’s sleep, must begin here. If you can’t sleep, get help; reach out to someone who cares, and by all means, confess your sins, believe in Jesus, and then trust Him as your Lord.