7-6-2022

Good Morning!    

            Psalm 3:5; “I lay down and slept, I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.”

    So, did you get a good night’s sleep last night?  How about the night before? Not so much? Well, you are in good company.  Over 62% of adults state that they experience sleep problems a “few nights” a week.  Almost a third claim they get less than 6 hours of sleep a night.  This leads to all sorts of problems.  People often fall asleep when they are trying to work or even drive.  Over 1500 people die each year because someone fell asleep while driving.

    Along with this, there is trouble with concentrating, problems doing finances, remembering things, or just plain remembering what to do next.  The estimated cost to the economy is over $18 billion per year.  The non-dollar cost is even harder to calculate.  People tend to be irritable, quick-tempered, and easily hurt.  This puts strains on relationships of all kinds, especially with family and often times with God as well.

    So, what are the things that keep you from getting a good night sleep?  Maybe it is the weather that seems rather ferocious this year.  Maybe you worry about the cost of things like gas or groceries.  Maybe you stress over work that never seems to get done or the lack of work which has cut your hours and your pay.  Maybe you wrestle with how you are getting along with your spouse; they seem so distant now.  Maybe you stress about your children; they seem to have so little to say to you and never want to be with you.  Maybe the stress is from too many doctor’s appointments that seem to give few answers and no clarity.  There are many things that keep us from getting a good night’s sleep.

     One of the reasons we don’t sleep is that we try to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders.  We try to be God.  But we don’t have to.  We have a God who loves us, who cherishes us, who will sustain us.  We have a God who redeemed us with the death of his Son and who has given us the promise of salvation and the promise of comfort today.  We have a God of grace who blesses us more than we can conceive of. 

    Most of our stress filled sleepless nights are the result of our own sinful nature, actions, and desires.  Yet God offers to us a good night’s sleep.  He gives to us the promise to love us, to comfort us and to keep us.  He gives us his Spirit to be with us.  He gives us his Church, our fellow believers, to be his hands and arms to bring us the comfort and consolation that he offers to us.  We may still experience the stresses, but we know that God will lead us through as we go by faith.  His grace will sustain us.  His love will never fail us.

Father of all mercies, you sustain us and give us rest.  Give us the strength to trust in you that we may find comfort in your arms.  Bless us with your grace that we may face all of life’s challenges, safe in the knowledge of your incredible love.  Be with those who are struggling this night and give them the peace that they may know your rest.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret