February 12: The One Who Never Sleeps

It’s 3 a.m. and the worries are taking turns. Money. Work. The conversation you’re dreading. Whether this sobriety thing will last.

Psalm 121 was sung by travelers on the road to Jerusalem. The roads were long and dangerous. Robbers, steep drops, exposure at night. So they sang to remind themselves: the One who keeps you will not slumber. The One who keeps Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps.

Someone is on watch. All night.

Anxiety tends to grow in the dark. Worries that seem manageable at noon feel enormous at three in the morning. And for many people, alcohol was the way to shut those worries off. A drink to fall asleep. Another if you woke up. It worked, sort of, until it didn’t. The worries came back louder, with a hangover added.

Now the drink isn’t there to quiet them. That’s hard. But it also means you get to learn something better.

Step Two says a Power greater than yourself can restore you. Part of that restoring is learning that you don’t have to stay awake guarding everything. God is awake. He’s not anxious. He’s not overwhelmed. He’s keeping watch over the very things that are keeping you up.

You can hand Him the night shift.

When you wake up worried, try this. Name each worry, one at a time, and after each one say, “God, You’re awake. I’m giving this to You.” Then picture setting it down. You may need to do it several times. That’s all right. You’re learning a new habit, and new habits take repetition.

If anxiety is constant, heavy or getting worse, it’s worth talking to a doctor or a counselor. That’s not a lack of faith. God often works through people trained to help.

And if you can’t sleep, you can still rest. Lie still. Breathe slowly. Let the psalm repeat in your head.

One thing today

Write Psalm 121:3-4 on a card and put it by your bed. Tonight, if you wake up worried, read it before reaching for anything else.

A prayer

God, my mind won’t stop at night. Thank You that You never sleep. I’m handing You the night shift. Keep watch over what I can’t, and let me rest.

More on hope in Step Two.

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