Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no
diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him.-Daniel 6:18
The National Sleep Foundation’s 2002 Sleep in America poll showed
that 58% of adults in the U.S. experienced symptoms of insomnia a few
nights a week or more.
It’s something we’ve all experienced at some time or another and
something I used to have a problem with. I praise the Lord that I can
now talk about it in the past tense, because it is God who blesses
me with a good night’s sleep. I have found the following prayer very
helpful: (It’s not always exactly the same, and this is just how I pray for
sleep. It doesn’t mean you must pray in exactly this way.)
“Lord, I praise You and I worship You. I bless Your Holy name Lord, and
I thank You for all the wonderful gifts You have given me. (Go ahead
and mention as many as you can think of.) I am in awe of the majesty
of Your creation. (Be still and think of the beautiful sunrises and sunsets
you have seen, the night sky filled with stars, the time you saw the
Grand Canyon, the beautiful bird you saw in your back yard, a lake in
northern Minnesota, or whatever comes to mind as beautiful, peaceful,
and awesome. Let the majesty and the beauty of the Lord fill your soul.)
Lord, I thank You for Your Son, Jesus, and I confess my sins now. (Search
your soul and confess anything which bears any guilt to Jesus. Make
sure you forgive anyone who has sinned against you.) I humbly ask Your
forgiveness, Jesus.
I thank You and I praise You, my Savior for cleansing me of all
unrighteousness and removing my sins as far as the east is from the
west. Thank You, Lord Jesus! (Know that your sins truly are forgiven!)
Lord, I ask that You would help me to fall asleep quickly and that You
would protect me from evil while I sleep. (I find this a good point to ask
protection for loved ones also.)
Lord, if I must dream tonight, please grant me holy dreams. Help me
to sleep peacefully and soundly. Help me to wake up renewed and
refreshed and ready to serve You. Help me to wake up in the morning
with a song of love for You in my heart and words of praise for You on
my lips. Amen.”
If you continue to have trouble after praying, go back to praise.
Remember that honest and true praise of God is something the enemy
cannot tolerate.
It’s a simple prayer and waking up with praise and worship for the LORD
in your heart is a wonderful feeling.
Oh, and don’t feel bad if you fall asleep before you finish the prayer
because that is like falling asleep in His arms.
I hope this helps you and blesses you! Oh, and remember that God gave
us many excellent and blessed health care professionals. You should see
a doctor about serious sleep problems.
Do you have a prayer that helps you sleep?
Today’s Praise:
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is
just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable,
if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think
about these things. (Philippians 4:8 ESV)