By Katy Mariotti

It’s Time to Rest!

“If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.”
Proberbs 3:24, English Standard Version

 

“Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”
Psalms30:4-5, ESV

I’ve long considered myself a night owl.  I have a tendency to stay up late, and I’m not great at early mornings.  Lately, though, I’ve struggled with the night time.  Possibly it’s the addition of a third kid (possibly? ha ha) but by the evening I’m worn out and overstimulated.  I start to lose patience with my family.  Tasks that I need to accomplish suddenly seem overwhelming.  Problems seem more serious.  And it’s easy when we’re feeling this way to turn to vices to try to calm us: drinking, scrolling the internet, etc.

What I need to remember when I get to this point is that God made our bodies and minds to need rest.  I even tell this to my own children, when they share worries with me at night: things always seem worse when you’re tired.  Everything will feel better in the morning.

There are many Bible verses about rest, but these two specifically caught me today.  Proverbs telling us “if you lie down, you will not be afraid,” and the Psalm “joy comes with the morning.”  These are verses to stop you in your tracks.  Are you overwhelmed?  Stressed?  Impatient?  It’s time to rest!  Lie down.  Go to sleep.  Everything is better in the morning.  And even if you are so worried you can’t sleep, Proverbs continues:

“Do not be afraid of sudden terror or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes, for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.”
Proverbs 3:25-26, ESV

God made us to rest, and He promises to be our confidence.  I pray we remember those facts today!

Copyright Family of Christ Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado