“In
peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me
dwell in safety.” -Psalm 4:8 (ESV)
The
focal verse which I have committed to memory is very helpful in my
life and I practice its truth. When I need it, I gratefully receive
much-needed rest through refreshing sleep. I memorized the verse in
the King James Version long ago: “I will both lay me down in
peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.”
I
missed posting devotional thoughts yesterday because I was sitting
beside a friend critically ill in the hospital. I had occasion to
quote the verse, even there, as I caught a little rest while the
patient rested. And then home, where I did rest and become restored,
the verse again brought assurance of God’s help and restoration.
Notice
the double action on the part of the believer: “I will both lie
down and sleep. Not lie down and toss and turn, but lie down and
sleep. Not take a sleeping pill, but depend on the Lord God to bring
the sleep and rest I need. I testify to the fact that I can do this.
When I “both lie down and sleep” I am able, with God’s help,
to lay aside troubles because I “take them to the Lord and leave
them there” as the old gospel song declares. What is the result:
“the Lord makes me dwell in safety.” He restores me, body, mind
and soul.
I
pray that readers of this devotional post can learn, regardless of
the concerns and worries, the unfinished tasks of the day, the
accumulated troubles one usually thinks about, that when trying to
rest, you can take the sound advice of this verse to heart and learn
to rely on the Lord and accept the sweet and refreshing rest He wants
to give each of His children! How grateful we should be for this
provision from the Lord. He gives restoration and health—and
oftentimes—a solution through our subconscious of what we should do
when we arise, refreshed. And on arising we declare: “This is the
day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it!”
(Psalm 118:24).
I
leave you, not only with the English Standard and King James versions
of Psalm 4:8, but also of Eugene Peterson’s translation of the
verse in his The Message contemporary language version: “At day’s
end I’m ready for sound sleep. For you, God, have put my life back
together.”
Prayer.
Thank You, Lord, for sweet rest and sleep when we need it. Thank
You that this means of our physical restoration is part of our
nature, we your children, made in Your image. Even early in the
Bible we learned from You to rest, because You yourself rested after
all Your work of creation as we learn in Genesis 2:4: “On the
seventh day…You rested.” And you created a time of rest for us
so that we, too, can benefit from restful sleep. Thank You, Lord,
that You restore us when we are weary by healthful, healing sleep.
And, Lord, bless those who can’t sleep for various reasons, those
who are sick, who work long hours, and those who care for the sick,
because sometimes we need to be awake and doing. In Jesus’ name.
Amen! -Ethylene Dyer Jones 01.14.2017.
(Personal
note: Please continue prayers for my friend, W. Dalton Smith, WW II
Veteran, who is critical and in need of rest, sleep, comfort. Room
623. Medical Center of Middle Georgia, 777 Hemlock St., Macon, GA
31201). – Ethylene Dyer Jones
