Psalm 3:5-6 - I Lay Down and Sleep

I lay down and slept; 

I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.

I will not be afraid of many thousands of people

who have set themselves against me all around.

Psalm 3:5-6

I have always had trouble sleeping. My imagination gets away from me, forming new ideas, plotting stories, making plans, and ... worrying! It's difficult to get certain mental pictures of what could possibly happen in the future out of my head. At times, it's simply the stuff of every day life, but recently I have been thinking about bigger themes such as spiritual warfare and the end times. 

Spiritual realities such as how real and how powerful the forces of evil are really disturb me when I think about them too hard and too long. 

As believers we are called to think about whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). The difficulty for me with contemplating spiritual darkness and demonic influence is the fact that it is true. Since it does exist, in my opinion, a biblical worldview includes a belief in and awareness of these issues. 

Watching end time prophecy play out in all of my online feeds is disheartening and scary. Too much imagination applied in these areas is not constantly helpful or needed. Yes, evil is real. Yes, Satan is real. Yes, the clock is ticking.

So what to do when it's time to actually sleep? How do I feel the peace of what I believe? How do I lay down and actually sleep? I'm finding that I have to renew my mind to the truth.

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.” No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. 

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35-39

Evil is not the only part of the story.

Evil has not won and will not win, no matter what happens.

God is the one who protects and sustains. He places a hedge of protection around those he has called by His name. Even if disaster strikes, His love is a constant reality in my life.

That is something that I can lay down into and sleep in.