Psalm 4:8 In peace I will lie down and sleep,
    for you alone, Lord,
    make me dwell in safety.

Even in this short Psalm there were several verses that spoke to me, but I’ll limit myself to this one for the moment. The benefits of knowing, of having a personal relationship with, your Creator are past counting. David had that, and the world is far richer for his having expressed it in poetic form. Not everyone is gifted as a poet, but we all have the potential of knowing God as David did, and even better, because we know about His Son Jesus, and can be filled with His Spirit. That doesn’t mean that everything is instantly easy; Jesus was very clear on that point. (John 16:33) However, it does mean that we have access to the things the human soul longs for, but often misunderstands. We try to satisfy ourselves with wealth and pleasure and personal power, but as the verse ahead of this says, what God offers is even better! As Jesus said, it is when we get our priorities straight that we are lined up to receive the abundance God desires to pour out on us. (Matthew 6:33) Getting back to this verse, I have read countless articles on the dangers of sleep deprivation, and how modern society fights to keep us from getting the sleep we need. When our hearts are tuned to God, we turn away from our electronic devices and allow Him to give us the rest we need. Throughout human history God has spoken to people through dreams, and we are far more likely to hear from Him that way if our thoughts are on Him even before we go to bed. Anxiety is a major enemy of good sleep, and the ultimate answer to that is trusting God. Whatever we think we want, the source of every good thing is God, (James 1:17) so the smartest thing is to seek Him first. As a pop song of many years ago said, “To know, know, know him is to love, love, love him, and I do.” As a song about romance that is merely cute, but when the Him in question is God, it is true indeed.

Despite my protestations of love for Jesus when I was five, I have come to know and love Him, His Father and His Spirit, far more and far better in the 70 years since. That’s not to say I get everything right even now. I am in total agreement with what Paul said about perfection! (Philippians 3:12-14) However, when I get into a fix, I at least know where the problem lies! As C. S. Lewis wrote in The Last Battle, I need to keep going “further in, further up.” There’s always more, and it’s very good indeed! As a pastor, I seek to help others understand that this is how things are, so that they too may seek God and find Him, when they seek Him with all their heart. (Jeremiah 29:13) It is such a joy, for me and for them, when someone does that! My life is to be a demonstration of the joys of walking with God, and that is a high privilege indeed.

Father, thank You for Your incredible grace, that You have made it possible for us to know You personally, cleansed by faith in Your Son and filled with Your Spirit. May I continue to grow as Your child, drawing more and more people with me, so that Your house may be full, (Luke 14:23) for Your pleasure and glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!