Trouble Sleeping?
Those nagging thoughts may be a check engine light for your soul.
Something keeping you up at night? If I am unsettled about something, I tend to obsess. I can’t stop thinking about it. It’s not intentional, it’s just that thoughts think themselves.
It might not actually be worry; it might just be something that’s bugging me. A conversation that went kind of wonky, something I said that I now regret, a perceived injustice against me, or a persistent judging of someone else that I wish would go away. Unless I deal with it before the Lord, it will nag at me and fill my thoughts.
This happened to me this week, and I couldn’t really settle down to sleep one night. My body was at rest, but my mind would not stop. I knew what I needed was some insight from the Lord. I needed the peace of Christ to rule in my heart and mind.
The fact that these thoughts would not shut off told me there was something I needed to deal with at the throne of grace. So I got up out of bed, and went to seek the Lord.
He knows my distress
I grabbed my Bible and my journal, and opened to the Psalms, looking for the words to form my prayers. After reading through five Psalms, waiting for something to hit me, I finally came upon Psalm 31:7, which says:
I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you have known the distress of my soul...
God knew my soul was distressed. He was just waiting for me to bring my burden to Him so that He could counsel and comfort me in His gentle and steadfast love. That nagging sense of irritation was like a check engine light that let me know something was off in my soul.
Whether it is worry, or fear, or doubt, or irritation all of these emotions which distress me are meant to drive me to meet with God. He is my perfect Counselor, who always has the Truth that will bring my soul peace.
As usual, when I brought my distressed soul before the Lord that night, He met me in the secret place and gave me the right thoughts to think.
Go To the Throne
Experience has taught me there is no point in endless tossing and turning when I can go straight to the Lover of My Soul to get just what I need. I don’t even need an appointment; because I’m His child, bought with the precious blood of Jesus, I can walk right in.
Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Is there something agitating your soul right now? A worry or fear? A troubled relationship? A nagging something you can’t quite name? Those feelings are check engine lights. Try taking it to the throne and seeing what the Lord might speak to your troubled soul. He already knows all your distress and is waiting to minister mercy and grace to you in His steadfast love.
Try This...
When you can’t sleep, grab your Bible and journal or simply get on your knees. Here are some things that help me approach the Throne when my heart is unsettled:
- Grab a journal and start writing a letter to God about the thing that’s bugging you.
- Use “I’m afraid that…” statements. List as many as you can think of.
- For every statement of fear, find a Truth to counter it. Use Scripture or write, “But God…” statements for each one.
- Read a few chapters of the Psalms and look for phrases that describe how you feel or what you know you ought to feel. Pray them back to God.
- Ask God if there is any wrong you have done that you need to admit and repent. Receive His forgiveness.
- Worship. Respond to God with Praise and Thanksgiving for the peace He gives you.
I love this post! It speaks to my heart right now in this season of my life. There are many nights where I am kept awake by my deep thoughts and worries. I love your practical tips on how to work through those nights. It always ends with seeking the Lord and resting in His peace.
Thank you for concrete steps to help with sleepless nights. The time spent with our Lord in the middle of the night can be so precious—exactly what we need. Sometimes he wakes us up to pray!
This is a beautiful post. So many, especially women, struggle with not being able to shut all the thoughts down and Rest in Him. Thank you Michelle, for speaking Biblical Truth and walking others through the the personal application aspect of checking your engine light.