In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat-for he grants sleep to those he loves. Psalm 127:2 NIV
Dogs don’t seem to have any problem sleeping. After their morning walk and breakfast, they seem to like a rest. Then there is the afternoon nap. They stretch out on the couch or their doggie pillow. They curl up in a chair. Dogs definitely know the meaning of relaxation.
Mallory always slept in our bed. I would wake up and she would be on her back with her feet flying up in the air. Sometimes I would wake up and we would be lying nose to nose on the same pillow. Even when they dream, it doesn’t seem to last long. They catch that rabbit they are dreaming about chasing and settle down for a long nap. I watch them at night and envy them as I lay awake wondering if I’ll ever get to sleep. I turn on the television which is a no-no and watch the commercials advertising My Pillow and wonder if I should order the miracle pillow to help me sleep.
Experts say getting a good night’s rest is important for our health and we should have a nightly routine. Our bedrooms are to be dark and quiet. Some even suggest painting your room certain colors to aid in the falling asleep process. Doctors order more sleep studies now than in the past.
Some people fall asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow. Others need time to unwind. Thoughts and plans race through your mind until finally sleep comes. When I am at the end of my rope, I remember the verse in Psalm 127. God gives his beloved ones sleep. I claim that verse and usually fall asleep within minutes. I don’t know why it doesn’t automatically come to me during my nighttime distress until I cry out to God for rest.
The benefits of sleep are numerous. You are more alert when you have a good night’s sleep. Your mood is better so you are less likely to be depressed. You have more energy and they say it is easier to keep the weight off when you enjoy regular sleep.
Proverbs 3:24 tells us, “If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.” Job 33:15 tells us that God can speak to us in a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed. God called to Samuel in the night while he was lying in his bed. Jacob wrestled with God during the night. Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams for him. God is still God in the night seasons.
David writes in Psalm 119:148, “My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises. Psalm 1:2 states, “but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night.” Whatever the reason for lack of sleep, God is in control. We can call out to him for aid and trust him.
Set your mind on God tonight as you fall asleep and believe his promise that your sleep will be sweet.
Just Another Dog Devotion 