“Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, I will give you rest.”
(Matthew 11:28 NIV)
Has anyone else noticed how nighttime is more difficult than daytime? This is true when we are experiencing pain (physical or emotional), fever or frustration. There’s something about the setting sun that magnifies our troubles. I don’t know about you, but for me it’s been notably more difficult to set aside the worries of the day and drift off to sleep this week. I’d like to share some practical suggestions to soothe your soul at the end of the day.
Most basically, it helps to establish a bedtime routine to soothe your body toward sleep. A cup of chamomile, a break from screens, a hot bath; all these things coax your mind away from the busy of the day and toward rest.
Centering Prayer is a another strong help. My word is ‘surrender’ and I’ve been silently repeating it over and over. Surrender right now for me means making peace with an unknown future. It means adjusting to social isolation, at least for a season. It means placing my long list of older or immune-compromised friends into the hands of Jesus each and every night. It means altering our consumption habits to stretch our supplies as far as they can go. I lay in bed with hands and heart open, centering myself on the word ‘surrender’. Jesus modeled this for us in his life on earth. He surrendered every facet of His existence to His Father’s agenda. He trusted that the plan was good even when it felt awful. We can trust that, too.
Another help is found in playing the Psalms aloud. This is an old habit of mine, one I picked up after a surgery almost a decade ago. Pain kept me from sleep but scripture played aloud kept me sane, steadied. The YouVersion app has a little ‘play’ icon at the bottom of the reading screen. Press it and a soothing voice will speak the Word over yu.
Worship music is another option. It’s helpful in redirecting your thoughts toward God’s goodness and faithfulness. You cannot worry and worship at the same time. Pandora, Spotify and Apple music are all options you can employ. Also, I have created a Pandemic Playlist on YouTube, if you are looking to widen your listening range.
If none of these things work or if I’m really worked up, I’ll just get up and go to the Word itself. If I spend an hour with Jesus, I almost always fall asleep immediately afterward. There’s something about sitting with the Prince of Peace that makes a soul sleepy.
“In peace I lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.” (Psalm 4:8 NIV)
Lord, today I lift up all my readers in the midst of crisis. We remember that You are Lord and You are still on the throne. Please meet every need. Help us trust and rest in You. Speak peace into our souls today. Amen.