“When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches.” Psalm 63:6
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” Joshua 1:8
“But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:2
I couldn’t sleep. For the zillionth time. Is zillionth a word? I just made it one. Added it to my online dictionary. I don’t remember the last time I slept through a night. I don’t just wake up once. Or twice. I’m a tosser. A turner. A wake-r upper. An I-can’t-get-back-to-sleeper-er. Another made up word, I know. A I-got-back-to-sleep-only-to-wake-up-again. I used to moan and groan. And moan some more. Complaining. Lots of it. Instead of being so thankful. So thankful I have a bed to lie in wherever it is. Whichever hotel room the Lord has sent me to. A warm place in winter. A cool place in summer. A blanket. Sheets. Pillows. So blessed. Still, I can be so irritable. Cranky. Perturbed. When I can’t sleep. Oh, how thankful I am the Lord stepped in some time ago to show me the BLESSING of my interrupted sleep.
See the first verse above? He led me to that verse in the midst of a crazy sleeping night. Brought me right to it. Fed me with it. Inspired me with it. Encouraged me with it. Reminded me with it. No more moaning and groaning in the middle of the night. I have discovered some of the best time I have to spend with the Lord is in the middle of the night. When nothing, and nobody, disturbs me. No distractions. Oh, sure, I can be tired. Very, very tired. But when I drag myself out of grogginess, and pull myself away from the complaining and the desperation to get back to sleep, I have such incredibly quiet time to spend with Jesus.
To sit at His feet. To read God’s Word. To hear God’s voice. To hear His instruction. To receive His wisdom. To be chastened and convicted and refined by Him. To feel His love. To be in His presence. To be led by Him to pray for people. Even to write devotionals. To do whatever the Lord desires. Including to meditate on His Word. To think about it. To feast on it.
Do you wake in the middle of the night? Would you consider spending time with the Lord then? Would you ask Him if it’s His desire? Instead of flipping on the t.v., turning on the radio, grabbing a book or magazine, talking to your spouse if he or she is awake also, would you think about being with Jesus? And open your Bible? And read? And learn? And grow? And pray? Meditate on God’s Word, my friend. In the night, and in the day. Meditate on the Lord Himself, dear one. Draw close to Him. Draw closer to Him. And to His Word. Closer, closer still.
Don’t waste a poor night’s sleep. Your poor sleeping may be an amazing opportunity to experience and enjoy and grow in the presence of Christ not to mention to pray for a world in need of Him. AMEN!