Wide Awake

READ: PSALMS 46; 77

Ever been wide awake at night? Maybe you were afraid of the unknown. Maybe you were overwhelmed with a never-ending to-do list. Or maybe you were heartbroken by injustice and brokenness in the world.

When I can’t sleep—which happens to me a lot—I often end up reading the Psalms. They’re like a prayer journal: the psalmists praise God in times of celebration and cry out to Him in their darkest nights. In Psalm 77, for example, Asaph is in a dark place, and he starts by talking to God honestly about how he’s feeling: “Will the Lord reject forever and never again show favor? Has his faithful love ceased forever? Is his promise at an end for all generations? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?” (verses 7-9).

Then, the mood of the psalm changes when Asaph turns from his worries and pain and remembers all that God has done for him in the past (verses 11-12). God has been faithful, saving Asaph and his people from their enemies, leading them every step of the way (verses 15-20).

In our own lives, we can follow Asaph’s example. Whenever we’re tossing and turning at night, we can talk to God honestly about how we’re feeling. He is eager to remind us that, even when circumstances are ever-changing and our world feels like it’s falling apart, He does not change. He remains constant and faithful—the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow (Hebrews 13:8). Because God made the way for us to be with Him through Jesus’s death and resurrection, we can know that our future is secure in Him. And even now, as Christians, Jesus’s Holy Spirit lives in us, helping us remember God’s never-ending love for us. So when worries keep us awake, we can think about how Jesus has been with us through similar times in the past. The truth is, we have unshakeable hope no matter what the day ahead may bring. • Abby Ciona

• Can you think of a time you noticed Jesus’s presence with you during a tough season? Hebrews 4:14-16 tells us that Jesus empathizes with us in our struggles and He invites us to come to Him with all our needs so that we can “receive mercy and find grace to help us.” Consider taking some time to tell Him about whatever has been weighing on you lately.

• Sleep is an important part of our physical and emotional health. Sometimes we need help to give our bodies the sleep we need, and that’s okay. If you’ve been having difficulty sleeping, who is a trusted adult you can talk to, such as a parent, counselor, or doctor?

I will both lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, LORD, make me live in safety. Psalm 4:8 (CSB)