“I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side.” – Psalm 3:5-6
Have you ever found yourself in the middle of a stressful situation? If so, you can probably relate to David. Psalms 3-4 were written when David was exiled because his own son had stolen the kingdom. The issues between these men were serious. David’s son, Absalom, wanted to kill his father.
Psalm 3:1-2 says, “Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, ‘God will not deliver him.’” Maybe you have a foe or two opposing you right now.
What is interesting is Psalm 3 was written in the morning and Psalm 4 was written in the evening, and David, in the midst of all the chaos, found time to take a nap.
He said in Psalm 3:5-6, “I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side.” See, David was in a crazy time, with his life in danger, being hunted by an entire army of men…and yet somehow he’s taking a cat nap.
Then in Psalm 4, he’s getting ready to go to bed! How can that be? David had a choice to make that night. He could stay up and worry and fret, fearing the worst, or he could believe the promises of God. He could choose to be imprisoned by the cage of stress or he could choose God.
He concluded the psalm with this verse, “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.” David discovered God’s remedy for stress. The remedy wasn’t a massage or prescription medicine. The remedy wasn’t breathing or aerobic exercises. God’s remedy for stress was God, Himself.
If you want to find true peace in the storm, and truly be able to rest no matter what your circumstances are, you have to let God be God.