Are struggling to sleep? Or maybe your sleeping habits have been getting worse and worse over time. You once were able to fall asleep as soon as your head hit the pillow, but now you lay there for hours before finally dozing off.
Is God trying to say something to you through this lack of sleep? Is he the one keeping you awake? Maybe. It’s certainly a question worth asking.
If God was the one preventing you from sleeping, here are 5 possible reasons for why he could be doing this.
1. If God Has Something to Say to You, He Could Be Keeping You Awake
In 1 Samuel 3, we have an example of God preventing someone from sleep because he was trying to say something to this person.
Samuel was still young and was serving under Eli the priest. During the night God was calling Samuel, but he thought it was Eli because he hadn’t learned how to hear the voice of God yet (1 Samuel 3:7). He went to Eli twice before Eli finally perceived what was happening to Samuel. Eli then told Samuel that if he hears the voice again, say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant hears” (1 Samuel 3:9). Once Samuel responded to the Lord, the Lord said what he needed Samuel to hear.
Likewise, if God is trying to tell you something, you won’t get good rest until you hear what he has to say. Quiet your heart before bed and ask the Lord if he’s trying to tell you something. Once you hear from God, this will definitely help you find peaceful sleep.
2. If You Have Something to Say to God, He Could Be Keeping You Awake
Sometimes we don’t know we have something on our hearts that we need to say to God – but God knows. And so, in love, he may prevent you from going to sleep until you say what he knows you need to say to him.
One biblical example of this can be seen when Jacob wrestled with God. It says he “wrestled with him until the breaking of the day” (Genesis 32:24). Genesis 32:26-28 continues:
Then he said, ‘Let me go, for the day has broken.’ But Jacob said, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me.’ And he said to him, ‘What is your name?’ And he said, ‘Jacob.’ Then he said, ‘Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.’”
This story always confused me. Couldn’t God just overpower Jacob if he wanted to be released? And didn’t God already know Jacob’s name?
The truth is, God allowed Jacob to keep wrestling with him because God knew Jacob needed something from him. God wrestled with Jacob because he wanted Jacob to ask for his blessing. God knew Jacob’s name, which meant deceiver, but God wanted Jacob to remember his past deceptions (i.e. his name) so he could fully embrace the new identity he wanted to give him, which was signified by a new name, Israel.
Likewise, if you are not aware of your own needs that only God can supply you with, the Lord may keep you awake until you realize what it is you need to ask for.
3. If You Have Deep Regrets, the Lord Won’t Let You Sleep Until You Receive His Mercy and Grace
After Peter denied Jesus three times, he was depressed and ashamed. He went fishing one night with some of the other disciples but they caught nothing. Jesus then appeared to them and called from the shore, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some” (John 21:5-6).
When they hauled up a miraculous catch of fish, Peter knew this was Jesus. This event was actually more significant for Peter than it appears at first glance. You have to remember how Jesus called Peter in the beginning of his ministry. In Luke 5, Peter had fished all night with no sleep and caught nothing. Jesus then told him to go out again. In obedience, Peter did and they caught a miraculous amount of fish, just like they did years later in John 21.
Through repeating this event that started Peter’s journey with Jesus, Jesus was telling Peter, “Even though you betrayed me, I still love you. I still choose you. You are still my disciple. Now keep serving me.”
Likewise, if you have regrets, if you feel like you’ve betrayed Jesus, he will keep you up all night so you will come to him and receive the mercy and grace he wants to give you (Psalm 32:3-5, Psalm 139:23-24).
4. If You Didn’t Honor the Lord with Your Body Throughout the Day, He Could Be Allowing You to Reap the Natural Consequence of Restlessness
Ecclesiastes 5:12, “Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep.”
Sometimes our sleep issues may be physical. But this doesn’t mean God isn’t involved. God has made our bodies and the natural laws that govern them. God will not let us deny his created order by giving us sleep when we are making choices with our bodies that prevent sleep.
For example, some people work extremely hard all day but they don’t do the type of work that requires physical labor. Their minds and emotions are exhausted, but their bodies have not been properly stressed to induce healthy sleep. People like this might sleep much better if they included a workout in their day. Other people scroll on their phone for hours in bed. This distraction is keeping them awake.
Honor the Lord with your body (Romans 12:1) and this will give you the best chance to reap the good natural outcomes that God desires for those who obey his created order.
5. If You Are Not Trusting God with the Details of Your Life, He Could Be Withholding His Peace
Psalm 127:1-2, “Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.”
The best antidote to sleep-robbing anxiety is radical trust in the goodness of God (Philippians 4:6-7).
Yes, there are problems waiting for you tomorrow; but God wants you to trust him tonight (Matthew 6:34).
As Jesus promised, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
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