Eyes close tight at 10:30 PM.
Open bright by 2:00 AM.
Are you tired, too?
Want more rest?
How can we find rest when days spill out of their boundaries?
The journey to any rest starts in the heart.
If the heart ticks busy-busy-busy, the body—even flat in bed—finds no rest.
My long night presses in.
I press back with,
“My soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning”
(Psalm 130:6).
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty”
(Psalm 91:1).
“You keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you”
(Isaiah 26:3).
In the night watches, His light is always on.
I dwell in His shadow.
And even in a tired body, my mind rests.
Eyes alert, but heart stilled.
Can we find rest even in fatigue?
Yes.
Soul-rest.
Physical tiredness tempts to whine complaints. Discontentment. But an emptied body doesn’t have to empty the soul with it.
Weariness and peace can coincide.
A tired body isn’t the worst fatigue; a tired soul is.
Keep your soul rested. Even if it takes waking in the middle of the night to recite his goodness, hear his singing, recall his grace.
Perhaps the body will move slower today,
but the heart will dream deep.
* * *
How do you keep a tired body from draining your soul?
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11 comments:
Lisa, I hear you loud and clear! Sometimes I awaken at night but they can be the most restful as I spend time with the Lord. He provides that soul rest.
I joined in on this Faith Barista jam topic too. It's so good to discuss things like this.
Blessings and love,
Debbie
Debbie,
I’d still prefer to not wake up in the middle of the night, but yes, the Lord definitely gives blessings then too. He is always good to us, huh? The house is so quiet and I don’t feel pressed for time.
Thank you for sharing these verses. I often find myself waking in the middle of the night and usually turn to prayer. Writing these verses down to memorize and use as I pray during those night hours.
Amy,
I like to pray in the middle of the night too, and often notice that those prayers differ from my daytime prayers. I think the night hours make me even more aware of my vulnerability and dependence on his care...
That first verse is one of my favorites. Lovely post, Lisa.
Hi Lisa! I'm jammin' with Faith Barista too. I love your post. I too wrote on finding physical rest by first finding spiritual rest. :) Great words.
Rich post, Lisa. I hear you; I am pondering...
Lisa, you're describing an all-too-familiar problem. I'm having to retrain myself how to sleep, and it's not easy. But, in an odd way, it's encouraging to know that I'm not an oddball. Thanks for the post.
You're so right--a weary soul is much worse than a weary body.
It encourages me to hear that you have found this helps. Do you stay in bed or get up when you are meditating? I go through seasons of this and am there right now. It really affects my life. I have found the best thing is to get up, make a cup of sleepytime tea and snuggle on the couch with my bible and journal. But I don't always actually do that, alas.
I always stay in bed, Patti. I don’t know if that’s the best practice or not, but I figure at least when I do get sleepy again, I’ll already be where I need to be. :-)
Your practice sounds inviting too though. I pray this season will pass for you. I’ve tried to make peace with less sleep but there are days where it is discouraging to be tired. Then again, on nights when I DO sleep, I can really appreciate the blessings of feeling rested the next day.
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