Sleep. We all need it. We’ve always done it. From the time we’re born, sleep is a natural part of life. Have you ever looked up the definition of it? I haven’t because, why? We all know what it is.
But just for kicks, I looked it up today. And it basically is what I thought it was all along. You’re not awake. Ha! It’s the time your body and mind recover from the activities of the day. In a perfect world, our bodies need 7-9 hours per night to function.
One site even mentioned that it’s easily reversible. Isn’t that the truth? Sleep comes easily for some and not so much for others. I’m one of the others. I don’t sleep well. I never have. But….I press on.
There are lots of things that can keep us up at night. Some of them are out of our control. Hormones. A teething baby. A barking dog. Some medications can hinder our sleep.
Some things are totally in our control. Like our food intake. Being overactive. Being underactive. Caffeine. Worry. Stress. Worry. Did I mention worry?
Have you ever laid in bed at night, fretting over a situation? Maybe it’s about a child. A money problem. Or a marriage problem. It could be about a doctor’s report or even the world news. We stay awake, thinking it through. Working out different scenarios in our minds of how we can fix it. And what will happen if we don’t.
Or we do the very spiritual thing of “praying about it” all night long because we think that is what faith would do.
Staying awake worrying never really helped me solve a problem. It just made me really tired, which created more problems. And honestly, that’s not God’s plan for us. And praying all night is not always a sign of faith. It can also be an act of worry if you’re just praying in nervous fear.
As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” 36 So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). 37 But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. 38 Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” 39 When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. 40 Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41 The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”
Mark 4:35-41
Mark wasn’t one to mince words. He wrote the shortest gospel and was always direct and to the point. But he made sure to include the detail that Jesus was asleep in the back of the boat with His head on a pillow. It paints quite a picture, doesn’t it?
This storm kicked up. The disciples were scared to death, but Jesus didn’t budge. Jesus wasn’t concerned. Jesus was sleeping like a baby. He had said, “We are going to the other side.” And He knew no matter what happened, they would get to the other side.
The disciples, however, woke Him up, shouting at Him. SHOUTING AT JESUS! Have you ever shouted at Jesus? The disciples were terrified and shouted at Him to wake up and do something! Which He did. He rebuked the winds and calmed the waves.
And then He looked at them and said, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
The natural circumstances were cause for concern. Listen, if seasoned fishermen were terrified in a storm, there was a reason to fear for their lives. They knew what they were facing.
But what Jesus was saying to them was that even though what they saw with their eyes may actually have been a natural threat, they should have been able to rest through it if they held onto their faith.
Fast forward to Acts 12. King Agrippa had James killed and Peter arrested. He was in prison awaiting certain execution while the church was praying for him. I’m pretty sure Peter probably prayed some too. In response to their prayers, God sent an angel to rescue Peter, and this is what the Bible says about his rescue.
Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, “Quick! Get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists.
Acts 12:7
Did you catch that? The angel had to wake him up. He was in prison on death row, and when the angel came to rescue him, he was fast asleep.
He learned from Jesus.
Sometimes the most faith-filled thing you can do is sleep. Right in the middle of the storm. Right on death row. Right in the middle of that situation you are facing that looks so menacing. It shows that you trust that God is working while you’re sleeping, doing things you could never do any way.
Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises at midnight. They sure did. I have prayed through the night too. But not every night. (God isn’t interested in your burnout.)
But Jesus slept. Peter slept. It’s okay to also sleep. I give you permission.
There really is no formula. Follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit in you. But keep in mind, sometimes the most faith-filled thing you can do is rest. Because sometimes faith looks like sleeping.
