Getting a good, solid, eight hours’ sleep is something millions of us struggle with, around the world. As Christians, along with following tried and tested scientific methods to improve our rest, we can also meditate on Bible verses for a peaceful sleep.
One quick Google will reveal how popular a tool meditation is in improving your sleep and wellbeing. Scripture is filled with references to meditation so we can rest assured that this practice is rooted in ancient wisdom and can lead us into nourishing encounters with God.
The Bible places a clear emphasis on meditating on the word of God. So, while the scientific approach or that of Eastern spirituality would be to use mediation to focus your attention and in doing so, empty your thoughts, the Biblical approach is to flood your brain with the truth and promises of God.
"Studies have found that meditation can help reduce cortisol, which is the hormone associated with stress. Meditation increases the natural melatonin levels to help with more restful sleep.” Florida Medical Clinic
The power of mediation is twofold. Firstly, there is ample evidence across numerous studies to show it has a physical impact on us, reducing stress in our bodies and helping us to relax. Secondly, by meditating on God and His word we are leaning into relationship with Him and yielding to the incredible process of becoming more like Him.
Proverbs is known as one of the books of wisdom in the Bible. In it we find an incredible amount of advice to help us live well. In Chapter 3 we find a well known verse about sleep:
“When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.”
This encouraging verse contains a promise we can all hold onto during sleepless nights. Your sleep will be sweet, Proverbs assures us.
The thing is, how many of us know that that just so often isn’t the case? You might toss and turn with worry about an approaching deadline or maybe you spend the early hours replaying difficult conversations? Sometimes just the busyness of our days can mean we go to bed wired and unable to switch off. In short, there are so many reasons why your sleep could be disturbed and why that super sweet rest evades us.
Reading through the rest of Proverbs chapter three helps you to understand this Biblical promise of peaceful sleep. The chapter opens with an encouragement to keep God’s commands, to pursue love and faithfulness and to trust in God’s understanding and not our own.
The Chapter goes on to extoll the virtues of living by wisdom. Solomon, the author of this proverb, is not taking about worldly, learned wisdom though. The wisdom that the whole book of Proverbs refers to is the wisdom of God.
So really, this famous Bible verse, promising peaceful sleep, is found in the context of an encouragement to live our lives according to God’s wisdom and His commands. When we pursue Him, Solomon encourages, then we will rest well.
The gospel of Matthew contains another brilliant Bible verse for a peaceful sleep. Matthew is quoting Jesus when he writes: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
In our weary and exhausted world there is perhaps no more poignant or wonderful an invitation than one to rest.
God, in his infinite wisdom, created night and day and seasons of harvest and seasons of hibernation. God is described as our strong tower and safe refuge in the Psalms and He offers us His protection and rest in every season of life, no matter how challenging.
Psalm 4 is a striking passage where David sings of his devotion to God. Verse 8 says:
“In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.”
David lived and ruled through tumultuous times. He knew what it was to fear for his life. As he reminds us here, it is in God that we are safe. He is our protector and safe place and because of that, no matter what surrounds us, we can lie down and sleep in peace.
This message is echoed in the famous story of Jesus sleeping through the terrifying storm that had His disciples alert with fear.
If we learn to trust God with our lives and acknowledge Him as our safety then we can sleep through whatever life throws at us.
It’s all well and good knowing that there are Bible verses to help you have a peaceful sleep, but how do you engage with them in a meaningful way?
Whether it’s five minutes or fifty, make space in your day to mediate. If you can then head to bed a little early to allow time to connect with God and meditate, you could try listening to a Sleep Story on Glorify.
Or, include a few minutes of meditating on scripture in your lunch break or commute. Even a short moment of connection with God can impact your stress levels and wellbeing for the whole day.
Take the pressure off finding the perfect verse and of having an incredible attention span by using an audio devotional. Letting a devotional guide you in your quiet time with God can make it so much easier to relax and still your brain.
Turning anything into a habit takes a bit of discipline at the start. Can you commit to meditating, for ten minutes a day, for 30 days? If that sounds like too much why not start with just five minutes?
If you push yourself and commit to meditating on Bible verses to help you sleep, it’ll soon become a truly life-giving habit.
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