Still on sleeping and waking, we must not forget that there are different types of sleep. A lot all depends on the chosen lifestyle. For example, innocent babies with no care in the world tend to drift into sleep many times during the day, usually soon after they have been fed. Very elderly people tend to experience a similar sleep pattern. But some sleep too much simply as a result of laziness. Here is a couple of self- Bible verse that buttress this point. Proverbs 6:9-11 asks sarcastically, “How long will you lie there, O sluggard?”, while Proverbs 20:13 states “Don’t be too fond of sleep; you’ll end up in the poorhouse”. The latter verse actually warns that excessive sleep will lead to poverty! May those in this group heed the warning in and cry to God for help.
Still on lifestyle, a person with a clear conscience usually enjoys the kind of sleep that we describe as sleeping like a baby. Another who is physically exhausted before going to bed and rapidly falls into a deep sleep can be said to have slept like a log. Both of these two groups wake up refreshed to start a new day. The result is often that even if they do not yet have a relationship with the God who made this possible for them, they are at least clear-headed enough to appreciate the value of the sleep they get.
However, there are other negative kinds of sleep. A drunkard or drug addict would usually fall into a drunken stupor, only to wake up with what is called a hangover. Perhaps some of use used to be in this group at some point in our lives. Hopefully such is no longer the case for those who have received Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. Whatever the case may be, I am sure many of us know, or at least have heard or read of someone who fall into this dreadful kind of sleep, only to wake up in a gutter or in another disgusting place or situation. This is how the bible book of Proverbs has to say about such drunkards and drug addicts in chapter 23, verses 29-35:
Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints?
Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine. Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly!
In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper. Your eyes will see strange sights, and your mind will imagine confusing things. You will be like one sleeping on the high seas, lying on top of the rigging. “They hit me,” you will say, “but I’m not hurt! They beat me, but I don’t feel it!
When will I wake up so I can find another drink?”
It should therefore be no surprise to us that drunkards and drug addicts are incapable of acknowledging, talk much less of praising God when they wake up. As the proverb above states, they wake up troubled and confused, only desperate for another ‘fix’ (drug) which they think will help them face a new day. Their drug of choice has thus become their god. As Psalm 115, verse 4 – 8 puts it, their gods have no life in them.
There are yet others who are neither drunks or addicted, but they do not enjoy restful sleep because their body, soul and spirit have been surrendered to making money. Even in their sleep, their sleeping moments are either filled with wicked ways to make more money, or nightmares about losing what they have. Their appetite for money and wealth, is never satisfied. The bible is as usual very correct when it says in Matthew 6:21: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”. The gods of this group, according to Psalm 135, verses 4 to 8, … are silver and gold, made by human hands. They have mouths but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. They have ears but cannot hear, notr is there breath in their mouths, Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them!!!
Such an apt description of the coins and notes we use today, on which are engraved the images of renowned leaders, most of whom are dead! And to think that for millennia, human beings have fought and killed and are still doing so today! And to think that the Bible already pointed this out long before man devised the use of currencies! How so very foolish. How so very sad for those who reject God’s warning, preferring to chase after money that will eventually be their destruction.
There are still other causes of bad sleeping experiences. Take the case of Nebuchadnezzar, the longest ruling king of Babylon, as recounted in Daniel chapter 2. One day, this powerful ruler woke up distressed and troubled by a nightmare he had while sleeping. Since he was not a believer in God, he had no hope of relief and reacted in rage. When none of the crème de la crème of ‘wise men’ in his court could not help him recover from his bad vibes, he commanded that they should be killed. It was only when Daniel, the faithful child of God who was in captivity came forward and stepped into the gap, that this world emperor obtained relief. Then and only then did he acknowledge the only True God, the God of Daniel, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Of course as long as we are still on earth, anyone could have nightmares occasionally and experience some discomfort at waking. However, this is never a constant with a child of God. While he may initially be distracted from appreciating the wonder of waking on the rare occasion that it may occur, a child of God knows that he can come boldly before God’s throne of grace and receive mercy, and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). A child of God has the assurance that being alive means that Jesus wants it so and will take care of him. So, he will definitely recover rapidly and will be able to continue to praise God for life and a new day.
The same cannot be said of someone who refuses to acknowledge God, or is still resisting the power of God in his life. When he forgot to give God glory for his achievements, God made Nebuchadnezzar live like an animal for seven years, until he finally declared in no uncertain terms, the supremacy of God as the King of kings and Lord or lords. Such is the kind of contrite heart and broken spirit that the God will never reject (Psalm 51:17). Pharaoh and Herod who remained adamant in their arrogance were not so lucky. They were summarily destroyed and died shameful deaths. May this not be your lot.
I do not need a scientist to tell me that not only the body, but also the soul and spirit are refreshed during sleep and contribute significantly to our peace of mind. I have found that the more peaceful we are physically, mentally and psychologically, the easier it is for God to get our attention. This peace is the kind that is described in the Bible as the type that passes all understanding. It is the peace that our Lord Jesus spoke about in John 14: 27 when He said: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
This kind of peace is special because it comes only from God. It is special because God gives it only to His children to draw them closer to Him. It is special because God’s children receive it only through His mercy and by grace. It is special because even those who receive it cannot understand it. Philippians 4:7 captures this perfectly when it states: Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
