sunrise thoughts 22 October 2015

Temptation... yeah, that's what my first thought was THIS morning. Granted, it was about 2 hours from the actual time of sunrise when I awoke. But, it was my first thought. I was dead tired physically - having probably gotten less than 5 hours of sleep last night. And, at my advanced age,

Dealing with Sleepless Nights

Sleepless nights... OH HOW I KNOW THOSE! They say it has something to do with age. I don't always agree with "they". Sometimes I'm wide awake due to over-stimulation from a full day. Sometimes I'm wide awake over-thinking situations or planning an upcoming event. Whatever the reason... I am quite familiar with sleepless and restless nights. (But, I have a theory on that.)

My approach to sleepless or restless nights is first to spend some time in prayer about other people & their needs. I also give thanks for blessings that I saw that day. I recite scriptures that I've memorized and recall lyrics to songs that have blessed me before. 

Two of my "Go To's" on the nights when sleep eludes me:

1. The lyrics from "Jesus, King of Angels" by Fernando Ortega. His lyrics are such a sweet reminder of God's vastness and His intimacy walking hand in hand. 

Jesus, King of angels, heaven's light,
Shine Your face upon this house tonight.
Let no evil come into my dreams;
Light of heaven, keep me in Your peace.

Remind me how You made dark spirits flee,
And spoke Your power to the raging sea.
And spoke Your mercy to a sinful man;
Remind me, Jesus, this is what I am.

The universe is vast beyond the stars,
But You are mindful when the sparrow falls,
And mindful of the anxious thoughts
That find me, surround me, and bind me...

With all my heart I love You, Sovereign Lord.
Tomorrow, let me love You even more.
And rise to speak the goodness of Your name
Until I close my eyes and sleep again.

The universe is vast beyond the stars,
But You are mindful when the sparrow falls,
And mindful of the anxious thoughts
That find me, surround me, and bind me...

Jesus, King of angels, heaven's light,
Hold my hand and keep me through this night.

2. Psalm 4:8 is a favorite verse to recite when those sleepless night try to captivate me... 

"I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." Psalm 4:8 NKJV

What do you do on the restless nights?

Linked with the Nesting Place community through the write31days challenge, October 2014 - post No 18.

HOPE, One Day Closer 10-12-13

I rise before the dawning

of the morning,

And cry for help;

I hope in Your word.

Ps 119:147

For some reason last night, I had some "nightmarish" dreams. If they'd been about fictional people or beings, I think I would have returned to sleep - dismissing the value of them. But, the dreams were about people I love & things that have been of concern to us over the past year or so. SO, I BEGAN PRAYING. I told God that I seriously did not know how much longer I can wait to see Him answer this heartfelt prayer & to understand what the "plan" was! In some of the moments, I feel like I've been waiting forever!! 

Last night was not the first restless night or time of questioning & wondering what was going on. When I get this way, I think about a great scripture passage found in Daniel:

Only I, Daniel, saw this vision. The men with me saw nothing, but they were suddenly terrified and ran away to hide. So I was left there all alone to see this amazing vision. My strength left me, my face grew deathly pale, and I felt very weak.Then I heard the man speak, and when I heard the sound of his voice, I fainted and lay there with my face to the ground. Just then a hand touched me and lifted me, still trembling, to my hands and knees. And the man said to me, “Daniel, you are very precious to God, so listen carefully to what I have to say to you. Stand up, for I have been sent to you.” When he said this to me, I stood up, still trembling. Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. Daniel 10:7-12

The scriptures which follow tell of some of the obstacles which were encountered & conquered by God's messenger as Daniel's prayer was being answered.

God says He will answer our prayers. And, I know that His timing is perfect. But, it's not always easy to WAIT until understanding comes. I am trusting that God's messenger is encountering & conquering... in answer to our prayers. 

THIS MORNING... is one day closer to the answer to my prayer. And tomorrow will be another day closer. And the next day... one day closer :) Here's to a bright tomorrow. After all, it'll be one day closer!

Linking October 2013 with The Nesting Place

 for the 31-day Challenge

Me... The motivated, effective person

I'm reminded daily (okay, multiple times daily) that I am a very flawed individual. Thankfully, the Lord constantly reminds me, when I'm seeking His direction in all that I do, my "flawed being" can & will be used by Him. That doesn't make me perfect OR make everything I do just right. But, it does give me the assurance that God is at work in me moment by moment... to convict, to make pliable, to mold & shape... to use in His big plan. One of my nieces who is attending AU posted a great quote a few days back on Facebook. It really spoke to me:

"If we have the idea that we have to put on our 'spiritual face' before we can come near to God, then we will never come near to Him. We must come as we are." - Oswald Chambers

In a recent 4-day holiday weekend, I awoke in the wee hours of the morning every single day. Yep, on the days when the LOML (aka hubby) could sleep in beside me, I was wide awake before 5am! The motivated, effective person would get out of bed & get a jump start on the day. That's not me though -- at least not lately. So, I quietly stayed in bed, reading all the devotions I get via email in my FOUR accounts. I saved quotes, copied photos & read passages of the Bible related to each devotional. I refused to get up & about totally. I chose to catch a few more minutes of shut-eye when my body became sleepy again - usually around 7 to 8am. Then, I let my husband be my alarm clock when he woke up & made coffee for us.

I could have fretted about what I did & beat myself up for being so lazy. If I told my MOTHER about what I'd done, she'd lower her head & shake it in shame. And, to be honest, I should have used some of that time to do a few other things... but, I didn't. The choice I made gave me the opportunity to call out to God & move forward. God uses even our wasted time when we give it over to Him :) And, sometimes our wasted time isn't really that wasted in God's eyes.

I love God! He's all about grace :)  I want to be like that too, recognizing that God is working for good in all situations - even the horrendous ones.

There's Comfort in the Shadows

I sit here - on the living room couch (gifted to me when the neighbor got new furniture) by the light of two 4 watt bulbs and find comfort. Comfort in the sound of the ticking clock above the fire place. Comfort in the long shadows cast by the ceiling fan & the legs of the farm chair handed down 4 generations. Comfort in the warm kitty curled up & sleeping peacefully on my legs for the past 2 hours. Comfort in the lingering thoughts of the peace found in God's Word on this & other sleepless nights. Comfort in the hum of the refrigerator in the kitchen just past the wall. Comfort in knowing that my loved ones are tucked in their beds fast asleep here - on this night.

I am blessed beyond measure with my "comfortable" life. Yes, there are trials to come with the day - illness to battle, broken relationships to be mended, lost souls needing You. These sleepless nights are bothersome - at the very worst. But, God brings comfort. In this moment, my thoughts & prayers go out to those who have no comforts which I often take for granted.

Dear God,
Bring Your comfort & peace to those who find little comfort in their lives. Make us mindful of your bountiful blessings upon us. Open doors for us to share those with others. On sleepless nights, bring peace & safety to all of Your children. As daylight comes bring guidance & strength.

Amen

Wide Awake Nights

Lately there are a lot of us walking around with "smart phones". My phone is about 3 years old & 3 generations OLD but, I can still access some great app's (applications) on it. If I could only choose one - just ONE - it would have to be the YouVersion Bible app. I don't know how many nights I've woken abruptly in the night for no obvious reason. I love the fact that I can grab my phone & read God's Word. 

Last night was one such night.  I read Psalm 63:6, "I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on you through the night." I was able to take time to talk with God; thank God for His faithfulness in my life; lay my requests at His feet; pray for friends who were on my heart... just BE in His presence!

If we are going to be WIDE AWAKE... we might as well be doing something good :)

(written 10/01/11)

Sweet Dreams

Trusting in Him enough to turn my cares over to Him during the dark times in my life (sometimes just the night); wow, what a concept :)

I've thought of a favorite scripture many nights when I was unable to sleep. I've claimed it.  

"I will both like down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." Psalm 4:8

And, the perfect scripture for the following morning: 

"I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety, for the LORD was watching over me." Psalm 3:5. 

As a friend of a friend says, "Turn it over to the night shift."

God's in control 24/7 and watching out for us 24/7. So, go ahead & turn your cares over to the night shift. See I Peter 5:7 too! He's got your back!

(written 14 Sept 2009)