In Peace I Will Lie Down and Sleep



1 O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; 
2 many are saying of my soul, "There is no salvation for him in God." Selah 
3 But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. 
4 I cried aloud to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah 
5 I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the LORD sustained me.  - Psalm 3:1-5

 Last night, I woke up around 3:30 and couldn’t fall asleep again until 5 or 5:30. This doesn’t happen on a regular basis (like every night) but it happens more frequently than I would like. The “foes” that kept me awake were my anxious thoughts. There were “many rising against me”. I know from my experience with essential oils that I am not the only one who deals with this problem, because the issue of sleeplessness or waking up and not being able to fall back asleep because of “mind-racing” is one of the most common concerns people bring to me. My mind ran the gauntlet of all the areas of my life, my responsibilities, and most of all, my fear of failure (or how I am already failing) in these places. It seemed like they all taunted me and told me it was hopeless.

 Eventually, I did fall asleep again after I had cried out to God in silent prayer to help me in these areas and to give me peace and sleep. But this was obviously only after much time wasted on worry, self-deprecation, and despair. Had I acknowledged sooner that He was a shield to me from my foes, I could have fallen asleep a lot faster. I did wake again, because the Lord chose to give me another day with breath in my lungs. He is my sustainer, which means physical life, but also the one who will bring me through all of my anxieties, lifting my head from fear and despondency, and giving me peace.

 If you also struggle with being overwhelmed by anxious thoughts, will you join me in calling out to the Lord and asking Him to be your shield of peace against your foes?

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

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