Let's Go Back to the Bible

How Well Are You Sleeping?

How quickly do you fall asleep? According to a recent study, there are a lot of reasons why it might take us some time to fall asleep. Some of the most popular reasons are replaying the day’s events, being too hot or too cold, caffeine, or back pain. According to this same study done by OnePoll, a market research company, the most common reason for lost sleep is anxiety about tomorrow.

This brings to mind the lyrics from the hymn “Living by Faith.” James Wells wrote these lyrics in 1918, “I care not today what the morrow may bring, if shadow or sunshine or rain, the Lord I know ruleth o’er everything, and all of my worry is vain.” Anxiety over the events of tomorrow is a worry or deep concern about which we have very little control. Jesus addressed this in His Sermon on the Mount. “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?…So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matt. 6:27, 34). Worry is not productive for solving problems or perceived problems. Worrying about things that haven’t happened yet is even less productive. When we worry about tomorrow, we assume we know what will happen. In doing so, we negate the providence of God and take away energies or sleep that should be focused on today’s events.

Faith is a great source of comfort for us. It removes the day-to-day worries and concerns that might otherwise overwhelm us. There was one particular event in the life of Christ that highlights this concept. When Jesus was with His disciples on the water and the storm came up, the disciples feared for their lives (Matt. 8:25). Jesus was awakened by the disciples as He was sleeping through the storm (Matt. 8:24-25). When Jesus awoke, He rebuked the disciples for their lack of faith and then calmed the storm (Matt. 8:26). After calming the storm, He might have gone back to sleep. There are two observations that can be made from this event. One, they were all in the same boat and same storm. The conditions of all the individuals were the same. Second, it was the understanding of Who was in control that allowed One to sleep and the others to panic. Jesus’ comment concerning their lack of faith was the determining factor as to how they responded differently to the same set of circumstances. Faith puts things into perspective and allows for “the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension” to “guard your hearts and your minds,” and in this case, your sleep also.

One caveat, I am speaking to those dealing with common anxiety or worry, not anxiety disorders. It takes more than faith to work through mental disorders. However, they shouldn’t be used as an excuse, badge, or reason for attention. We should be working to be molded into the image of Christ.