How often is our peace robbed from us? Especially that peace that leads to a good night’s sleep? We often allow the worry and concern of the day creep into our evenings and steal our tranquility and peace of mind. The result? Poor sleep.
So, where do we find solace? That comfort needed to rest when our heads hit the pillow? David offers one simple solution: trusting God. David begins with a call to God to help him in distress and ends with a reminder to himself. Psalm 4:8 proposes, “I will both lay me down in peace and sleep: for You, LORD, only make me to dwell in safety.” The tense of this verse is almost a self-proclamation. David was likely reminding himself of something he had known for a long time.
For seven years, David was a king on the run, appointed by God and anointed by Samuel, but he was pursued by the then current king, Saul. Many a night, David slept on the ground, surrounded only by a small band of loyal men for protection. If anyone needed a reminder where peace, safety, and sleep come from, it was David.
As he prepared to lay himself down for the night, David spoke to himself on how to trust God for his safety, health, tranquility, and peace. His only real trust for security was God. As often as David faced danger throughout his life, he died an old man. God’s safety gave him the bold confidence to sleep when his head hit the pillow.
Even in our secure country, many of us still struggle for good sleep, but we don’t need to let worry be the cause. Peace, sleep, and safety can be granted and can calm our hearts and minds and send us off to a refreshing sleep.
