Psalm 119:145-148 KOPH 145 I cried with my whole heart; hear me, O Lord: I will keep thy statutes. 146 I cried unto thee; save me, and I shall keep thy testimonies. 147 I prevented the dawning of the morning, and cried: I hoped in thy word. 148 Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word.

Sleeplessness!  Oyyyy!  How many times have I fought this night after night!  I know I’m not alone because I see countless sleep aids on the shelves at my local pharmacy. However, there’s something to be said about sleeplessness!  The Christian really ought to take a different look at it.  Instead of viewing sleeplessness as a hardship, let’s view it from another angle.  Could it be that God is trying to get our attention?

How many times have we ignored this God-given opportunity and opted to watch television instead – or even read a book! In Psalm 63:6, David meditates on God’s word as he lays in his bed. We see it here in today’s text as well. Psalm 119:147-148 reveal the Psalmist’s battle with sleeplessness and how he dealt with it.

What a great opportunity for God to get our attention. It’s really the only time of day where there aren’t any of life’s distractions. I use to do my Bible reading at bedtime because I was a “night person” and that was my favorite way to unwind from the day’s events. Then my children came along and so did exhaustion: I found myself crawling into bed for that much needed sleep! I had to rearrange my time with the Lord to the early hours of the morning before the children awoke. This is when He taught me that my mornings were my best time to spend with Him.

This is our time with our Heavenly Father! The Psalmist used his time to cry and pour his heart out to the Lord. Maybe he had a repentant heart over a certain sin; maybe he was afraid of his enemies; maybe the latter was a result of the former. Whatever his reasons were for crying, he knew that he would find solace in God’s word (Psalm 119:151-152). His confidence did not yield disappointment but quite the opposite! He knew that God’s word was everlasting and he could depend on it! He walked away encouraged by the Creator of the universe – the One who knew him best and knew how to encourage him (Lamentations 3:21-23)!

The next time you are awakened in the middle of the night, don’t squander those precious moments in front of the television! Instead, get up and ask the Lord if He is the one who awakened you – then open your Bible and let Him speak to you!

The picture above was taken by a sweet Christian lady, Connie Wentworth and used here with her permission. Her pictures are mostly taken in the State of Maine and depict God’s glorious creation! Thank you, Connie, for allowing me this opportunity to use your work!