When Sleep Won't Come

Lord, I cannot sleep. I have tried. I have tossed and turned. I have stared at the ceiling. I have counted breaths. Nothing works. My body is tired, but my mind refuses to be quiet. "In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord. My hand was stretched out in the night, and didn’t get tired. My soul refused to be comforted. I remember God, and I groan. I complain, and my spirit is overwhelmed. Selah. You hold my eyelids open. I am so troubled that I can’t speak. I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. I remember my song in the night. I consider in my own heart; my spirit diligently inquires." — Psalm 77:2-6 Even the psalmist had sleepless nights, Lord. Even Your chosen ones lay awake, wrestling with their thoughts. So I do not feel shame in this. I just feel exhaustion. LORD, I BRING YOU MY RESTLESS MIND: It will not stop replaying. The same thoughts circle like vultures. What if this happens? What if that happens? What about that thing I said? What about that problem I cannot solve? Lord, I am going in circles, and I need You to break the loop. LORD, I BRING YOU MY RESTLESS BODY: My muscles are tense. My heart rate feels elevated. My body is producing stress responses to threats that are not even in this room. Help me, Lord. Command my body to stand down. Release the tension that has me in its grip. LORD, I BRING YOU THIS WASTED TIME: It feels wasted, lying here awake. But maybe it is not wasted at all. Maybe this sleepless hour is an invitation to meet with You. Maybe, in the silence of the night, You have something to say that I cannot hear in the noise of the day. So speak, Lord. Your servant is listening. Not because I want to be awake, but because I am awake, and You are here with me. And if You choose not to speak — if this is simply a night to endure — then just sit with me, Lord. I do not always need answers. Sometimes I just need presence. Your presence. When sleep comes, let it come deeply and restoratively. And when morning comes, let Your mercies come with it — fresh, new, and sufficient for the day. Amen.