July 6--Sleep Like a Baby

1 Chronicles 2:18-4:4 Acts 24:1-27 Psalm 4:1-8 Proverbs 18:16-18

Any sleepless nights lately? Tried counting sheep? Have the injustices of the day found you awake with anger on your mind? Wouldn’t it be great to “sleep like a baby”? As a grandfather, I get to see my grandson sleep like a baby. Little Hunter can’t talk much yet, and I am sure he doesn’t count sheep, but he knows how to do a couple of things that may contribute to his ability to sleep—he cries when he wants something, trusts that he will get it, doesn’t stay mad very long, and finds joy in almost everything. Those are some of the lessons for all of us in today’s reading from Psalm 4 that I’d like to call, “How to Sleep Like a Baby!”

The references to being in bed and lying down to sleep in Psalm 4 suggest that King David was thinking about how best to sleep. However, the implications are greater than curing insomnia. Remember Jesus’ admonition in Matthew 18:3 “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” So, how do we become like little children so we can sleep well and enter the kingdom of heaven? There’s somewhat of a four-step formula here in Psalm 4.

1. Turn your concerns over to your Father, your heavenly Father. Ask Him to hear your prayer. (Psalm 4:1 “Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer.”)
2. Have faith and trust that your Father hears you when you pray. (Psalm 4:3 "Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord will hear when I call to him.”) Jesus promised that He would give any who come to him rest (Matthew 11:28).
3. Let go of anger. If you are angry about something, do not let it become sin. Be silent. Rather than thinking about someone's offense against you, search your own heart. (Psalm 4:4 “In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.”) This point is like Ephesians 4:26, “In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.”
4. Rejoice. Find joy in God, not in wealth, nor in alcohol (or sleeping pills), but in God. (Psalm 4:7 “You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound.”) Here King David is contrasting the joy he has with those who, even in their wealth, are asking, “Who can show us any good?” (Psalm 4:6). Although David is praying in the context of distress, he turns his heart to giving thanks to God. His heart is filled with thanksgiving rather than self-pity.

Let’s sum this up in one word, one word that my grandson seems to exhibit whether it is in sleep or in squealing with joy as his Dad tosses him high in the air. That word is TRUST. Psalm 4:5 says, “Offer right sacrifices and trust in the Lord.” Better than any man-made sleeping pill is this trust in God: Psalm 4:8 “I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” To sleep well and enter the kingdom of heaven, pray to God, have faith in Jesus, let go of anger, and find joy in all that God provides. Trust in the Lord. Sleep in Peace. Sleep like a baby!

Blessings,

Pastor Paul