Psalm 127:1-2 and assorted scriptures Work + Life: Balance: A Sleepy Sermon
Catching Some Z’s
Today’s sermon is on a topic that I’m guessing very few of you have ever heard a sermon on before. And yet, the topic I am going to talk about is an activity that all of us engage in more than any other single activity in our lives.
In your lifetime, you will spend more time doing this activity than you will praying. You will spend more time doing this activity than you will at work. You will spend more time doing this activity than you will talking to your spouse, caring for your children, exercising, or any other activity.
The activity I’m talking about isn’t really an activity, but you will spend approximately 1/3 of your life doing it. I’m talking, of course, about sleep.
If we believe God is Lord of all our lives, wouldn’t that mean that God is Lord of our sleep? Are we supposed to believe that God is uninterested in that huge portion of our lives?
We are in the midst of a series I am calling Work + Life: Balance. Last week, I addressed the fact that we are incredibly busy, and that busyness often leaves us feeling weary and burdened. But we saw that Jesus invites us to come to Him for rest. We saw that Christianity is a religion of rest. It is Biblical for us to slow down.
And with that in mind, I’ve been curious to look at what the Bible says about sleep. Again, it’s 1/3 of our lives. So I did a Biblical survey on sleep and I’d like to share the results with you. Here are 7 Biblical principles about the activity of sleep. This won’t be like so many of my other sermons where we stay in one Bible passage. Instead, we’ll look at different Bible verses that refer to sleep, and generate a list of 7 Biblical principles. (And, by the way, if you feel the need to take a little nap during this message, I’m not going to hold it against you. One of the greatest compliments I’ve ever been given is that I’ve got a good voice for sleeping to.)
Sleep is Good For You
First, God cares about our physical selves. God cares about our sleep because God cares about our bodies.
Some religions teach that the body is inherently evil, that the spiritual is all that matters and the physical is something to be escaped. Think of Transcendental Meditation or Buddhism and the idea of reaching a higher state of consciousness. But the Bible has always taught great respect for our physical bodies: On the sixth day God created Adam and Eve’s physical bodies and pronounced them “very good.” (Gen. 1:31) When Jesus descended from heaven to earth He was incarnated into a physical, human body—“the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). At the end of time, when Jesus comes again, those who belong to Him will receive resurrected, physical bodies (i.e. 1 Corinthians 15:42).
God cares about our physical selves. And sleep is part of the created order God made for bodies. Sleep orders our time, divides our days, and gives energy to our waking hours. More than that, sleep has a profound effect on our health and well-being.
I did some searching on the internet, and here are some of the benefits of sleep according to sources like the National Institute of Health, the department of Health and Human Services and Men’s Journal:
Sleep helps to repair your body. Your body produces extra protein molecules while you're sleeping that helps strengthen your ability to fight infection and stay healthy. These molecules help your immune system mend your body at a cellular level when you are stressed or have been exposed to compromising elements such as pollutants and infectious bacteria.
A couple of years ago a study was touted on the national news that people who regularly get 6 hours of sleep or less are 4 times as likely to catch a cold as people who get at least 7 hours or more.
Sleep helps keep your heart healthy. Your cardiovascular system is constantly under pressure and sleep helps to reduce the levels of stress and inflammation in your body. High levels of "inflammatory markers" are linked to heart disease and strokes. Sleep can also help keep blood pressure and cholesterol levels (which play a role in heart disease) in check.
Regularly shortchanging yourself on sleep can lead to a surge in stress hormones such as cortisol. The uptick in stress hormones compels your ticker to respond by working harder, and it doesn't get the rest it needs.
Sleep reduces stress. A good night's sleep can help lower blood pressure and levels of stress hormones, which are a natural result of today's fast paced lifestyle. High blood pressure can be life threatening and the physical effects of stress can produce "'wear and tear" on your body and degenerate cells, which propel the aging process. Sleep helps to slow these effects and encourages a state of relaxation.
Sleep improves your memory. That 'foggy' feeling that you struggle with when deprived of sleep makes it difficult to concentrate. This often leads to memory problems with facts, faces, lessons, or even conversations. Sleeping well eliminates these difficulties because, as you sleep, your brain is busy organizing and correlating memories. One of the great benefits of sleep is that it allows your brain to better process new experiences and knowledge, increasing your understanding and retention--scientists call this memory processing. This is also why sometimes you go to bed with a problem and wake up with the solution.
Another study shows that our bodies clear away a byproduct in our brains known as amyloid beta at a faster rate than when we are awake. High levels of amyloid beta have been connected to Alzheimer’s disease.
Sleep helps control body weight issues. Sleep helps regulate the hormones that affect and control your appetite. Studies have shown that when your body is deprived of sleep, the normal hormone balances are interrupted and your appetite increases. Unfortunately this increase in appetite doesn't lead to a craving for fruits and veggies. Rather, your body longs for foods high in calories, fats, and carbohydrates, which give you a sugar rush which your body will burn through quickly only to lead to a crash and more hunger...
So, if you're trying to lose those stubborn few pounds that just keep hanging around, consider the benefits of sleep on weight control and make sure that you are getting enough sleep each day.
Sleep lowers your odds of a car crash. Because a sleep debt slows your reaction time and reduces your ability to focus, "driving a car when you're low on sleep is just as dangerous as driving drunk," says one sleep expert. Research backs this up: People who regularly sleep six to seven hours per night are twice as likely to get in an accident as those who usually score at least eight hours, according to a study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Catch less than five hours, and your odds of a crash quadruple.
And there’s more. Sleep reduces your chances of diabetes, improves your mood, helps your decision making, prevents headaches, is good for your relationships, and all in all just makes you a nicer person.
Sleep is good for us. It’s part of how God created us. God cares about our physical selves. And yet an estimated 35 percent of us are getting less than 7 hours of sleep per day.
1 Corinthians 6:19 says:
19Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?
God cares about how we treat our bodies. And that includes getting a sufficient amount of sleep.
Preserve Sound Judgment
Second Biblical principle: How you live during the day affects how you sleep at night. A good night’s sleep is very much connected to how we spend our days.
The book of Proverbs is about living a life of wisdom. Wisdom is defined as life lived in accordance to God’s laws. So in Proverbs 2:21-22, the wise father urges his son to live according to this wisdom:
21My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your sight; 22they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck.
Then, in verses 23 and 24, he talks about the benefits of wise living:
23Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble; 24when you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
In other words: live your life according to sound judgment and discernment and you’ll sleep like a baby. But the opposite is also implied: live your life in rebellion to God’s laws, and you’ll have a tendency to toss and turn.
The story is told of a shoplifter who once wrote a department store and said, “I've just become a Christian, and I can't sleep at night because I feel guilty. So here's $100 that I owe you.” Then he cryptically signed his name. And at the bottom he added, “P.S. If I still can't sleep, I'll send you the rest.”
There is a painting hanging in England’s Parliament building known as “The Last Sleep of Argyll” by Edward Mathew Ward. It depicts Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll, who was executed in 1685 in the midst of England’s religious troubles for refusing to renounce his Protestantism for Catholicism. The picture is of Argyll taking a nap, immediately after eating his last meal and just before his scheduled time of beheading. Reminders of imminent death are all over the painting: the Bible, the clock (marking of time), the last meal, the last letter, the shackles on his ankles and wrists –yet the Earl sleeps peacefully. The guards coming to get him are shocked that he can sleep.
But the point is: the Earl knows he has done nothing wrong. He is untroubled by a guilty conscience. And so his sleep is sweet. http://www.explore-parliament.net/nssMovies/04/0418/0418_.htm
When you follow the way of wisdom, when you turn in at night with a clean conscience, when you obey God in the daytime, it’ll lead to better sleep in the night.
Go to the Ant
Here’s a third Biblical principle: There is such a thing as too much sleep. The burden of this sermon is that many of us have a sleep deficit that we need to make up. That many of us are too busy and need to slow down. But this has to be said as well: slowing down is not a call for laziness. This is not an excuse for those of us who would rather sluff off than strive. Proverbs 6:6-11 says:
6Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider its ways and be wise!
7It has no commander, no overseer or ruler,
8yet it stores its provisions in summer
and gathers its food at harvest.
9How long will you lie there, you sluggard?
When will you get up from your sleep?
10A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest-
11and poverty will come on you like a bandit
and scarcity like an armed man.
If you are always hitting the snooze button. If you are sleeping through classes or showing up late to work because you couldn’t get out of bed. If you are a couch potato who would rather watch reruns of Judge Judy than do something constructive, then what you need is not to slow down but to speed up.
“A little sleep, a little slumber.” 5 more minutes. I can’t go look for a job because I can’t get out of bed. If that’s your attitude, then look out! Because poverty will come on you like a bandit. Scarcity will hit you like an armed man. You’ll find yourself with bills to pay and limited options.
The Bible definitely takes the perspective that people should put in an honest day’s work for an honest day’s keep. Paul tells the church in Thessalonika: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.” (2 Thess. 3:10) The Bible isn’t saying that we should run ourselves ragged. It doesn’t recommend that we kill ourselves with busyness. But don’t use a sermon on sleep as an excuse for shiftlessness. Proverbs 10:3-5:
3The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry
but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.
4Lazy hands make a man poor,
but diligent hands bring wealth.
5He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son,
but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.
Too much sleep is a ticket to the poor house. But those who put in a good day’s work should sleep soundly.
In my Bed I think About You
The next Biblical principle is one that surprised me, but as I thought more about it it makes a lot of sense. I’ll phrase it like this: What you think about in bed reveals the deepest longings of your heart. When you are lying in bed, before drifting off to sleep, as your brain is idling down, the things that you tend to think about reveal a lot about where your heart is.
There are two Psalms that get at this idea, from both the good and the bad. Psalm 36:3-4 talks about the “sinfulness of the wicked”:
3The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful;
he has ceased to be wise and to do good.
4Even on his bed he plots evil;
he commits himself to a sinful course
and does not reject what is wrong.
Some people focus on evil things as they wind down from the night. They plot and scheme what is wrong. Contrast that with those who “earnestly seek” after God. Psalm 63:6-7:
6On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.
7Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.
A woman named Marilyn Fais wrote in Today’s Christian Woman, “I recently wrote to a close friend explaining that I had problems sleeping at night. When her next letter arrived, I learned that she has this problem as well, but uses her wakefulness to pray for loved ones, listing her prayer concerns alphabetically by first names. Now as I drift off, lovingly praying for Adriana, Alan, Amelia, and Amy, I feel surrounded by loved ones and I smile. I'm not just counting sheep ... I'm counting His sheep.” (quoted by Ted Weis, http://livingthebiblios.blogspot.com/2007/08/sermon-about-sleeping.html)
What do you think about as you lay in bed, before drifting off? What does it say about your heart? This is convicting to me, because I often try to shut my brain down by thinking about my Fantasy Football Team or the UNI basketball roster. Better to think about the things of God. To pray, as this lady suggests. Or to rehearse memory verses. Proverbs 6:20-22 says:
20My son, keep your father's commands
and do not forsake your mother's teaching.
21Bind them upon your heart forever;
fasten them around your neck.
22When you walk, they will guide you;
when you sleep, they will watch over you;
when you awake, they will speak to you.
Let God’s wisdom watch over you as you sleep.
Dreams
This next principle is one I have to be careful with, but I can’t leave it out of a Biblical survey of sleep. Sometimes, God speaks to His people in dreams. There are many examples of God communicating through dreams.
For instance, in Genesis 28 Jacob sees a ladder reaching up to heaven and angels going up and down. In that vision, Jacob is assured of God’s presence.
In 1 Kings 3, God asks Solomon in a dream what he wants as he becomes king. Solomon asks for wisdom. God answers by saying that since he asked for wisdom rather than personal gain, God will give him both the wisdom he requested as well as wealth and honor.
In the Christmas story, Joseph is encouraged to stick with Mary despite the appearance of impropriety, as well as warned in a dream to flee to Egypt.
The Joseph of the Old Testament, as well as Daniel, were good at interpreting dreams and rose in office because of it.
The Apostle John wrote the book of Revelation as a way of recording the visions God granted to him.
There’s no denying that God uses dreams in the Bible. So I would be reluctant to say that it no longer happens today. God is God, and if He wants to communicate through dreams, He certainly can. Indeed, missiologists tell us there are many examples of people in closed, Muslim countries who have become followers of Christ because of dreams in which Jesus appeared to them.
But I will say that it is probably a very rare thing. Despite the examples I just gave, it is still a relatively small percentage of people in the Bible who heard from God in their dreams. And they were all pivotal Bible characters, people who were involved in some pretty significant junctures of God’s story.
My guess is that it was no easier to believe someone had heard from God back then than it is today. I have plenty of dreams, but I don’t really think they are messages from God. For example, this week I had a dream about my dog Jake becoming father to a litter of puppies (which would be quite a feat since he has been neutered). If that was a message from God, I have no idea what the message was. Usually, our dreams are the product of things going on in our subconscious, and maybe the chili we had for supper.
But if you are convinced that God is telling you something through a dream, I would encourage you to keep this in mind: God will never tell you to do something that is a contradiction or violation of what He has already revealed in Scripture. Dreams should never take precedence over what the Bible says. And if you are seeking God’s will for your life, I urge you to look in the Bible ahead of your dreams.
The One Who Never Slumbers or Sleeps
Our sixth Biblical principle is this: We can sleep because God does not. When you turn in for the night, it’s always a good thing to remember that God is on His throne and He has matters under control. Psalm 121:3-4 says:
3He will not let your foot slip-
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
Let’s be honest, one of the reasons some of us struggle with sleep is because we are consumed with worry. We are anxious about tomorrow. We have health concerns, financial concerns, work concerns. We are concerned about the kids or we are concerned about our parents. I’ve confessed several times from this pulpit that sometimes I have a hard time getting a full night’s sleep because I can’t stop worrying.
I need to learn from Jesus. Remember the story of the time Jesus and the disciples were out for an evening cruise on the lake? A sudden storm came up, and it must have been pretty bad, because His disciples—seasoned fishermen, men who had spent their entire lives sailing on this lake—were in a panic. And where was Jesus? He was in the back of the boat, sleeping. He knew that His Heavenly Father had it all under control. (Mark 4:35-41)
Or, again, the story of Peter in prison from Acts 12. Wicked King Herod had recently had the apostle James’ head taken off, and now he had Peter in prison and intended to do the same thing. The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, an angel came to break him out of jail. And what was Peter doing when the angel got there? He was asleep! (Acts 12:6) Apparently he was confident that God had it all under control.
David wrote Psalm 3 when he was on the run from his son Absalom. The Psalm talks about how many foes have risen up against him and how it feels as though he is surrounded by tens of thousands on every side. And yet, in the midst of this crisis, he says:
5I lie down and sleep;
I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.
David could sleep because he knew that God does not. He knew that God had it all under control.
The very next Psalm expresses a similar sentiment:
8I will lie down and sleep in peace,
For you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
We need to remember that God is our peace and our security. No matter how many worries we have. No matter how much we feel there is to get done. Always remember: God neither slumbers nor sleeps. He has it all under control.
The Gift of Sleep
And then, seventh: Sleep points to greater spiritual realities. Sleep should remind us that God works so that we don’t have to. One of the most well-known scriptures when it comes to the topic of sleep is Psalm 127:1-2:
1Unless the LORD builds the house,
its builders labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchmen stand guard in vain.
2In vain you rise early and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat-
for he grants sleep to those he loves.
I struggled with this passage for a long time. If you just read that last line, it sounds rather harsh. God gives sleep to those he loves. Good for them. But if I have trouble sleeping, does this mean God doesn’t love me?
But that’s not what it is saying. We have to pay attention to the context. What these verses are saying is that there is a way to labor in vain. You can get up early and you can stay up late and you can work, work, work to put food on the table—but if you are doing it without accounting for the Lord, then you are doing it in vain. You have to let God work. You have to invite Him into your work.
Christianity is a religion of rest. That’s the point of this whole series. Of all the world religions, Christianity is the only one that says it is not about how hard you work, how well you keep certain commands, or how much effort you put in that determines your standing before God. No, Christianity says: you have to let God do the work. He’s already done the work, at the cross. You have to come and rest in Him.
Kevin DeYoung writes: “We can rest, because he worked. We can lay down our prideful busyness, because he laid down his life. We can keep coming back to him in the midst of our failures, because he keeps all his promises to us.” (Crazy Busy, p. 114)
And I believe that’s what these verses are getting at: God’s gift to us is sleep. It’s rest. We don’t have to do all the work. We have to join God in the work He is doing. When we do that, when we let Him build the house and watch the city, then we can sleep.
So that’s what I mean when I say sleep points to greater spiritual realities. In a lot of ways, sleep is an illustration of the gospel. It’s trust, not try. We come to Him and rest in Him. Every time you sleep, you can be reminded that He has done everything necessary for you to be loved by Him.
A Prayer for Sleep
Finally, I’d like to close with an old prayer from the 11th Century Church. It was found in an old Egyptian monastery in a book called the Euchologium Sinaiticum:
“Be off, Satan, from this floor and from these four walls. This is no place for you; there is nothing for you to do here. This is the place for Peter and Paul and the holy Gospel; and this is where I mean to sleep now that my worship is done, in the name of the Father and of the Holy Spirit.
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ send me your Spirit; instill the wisdom of your Holy Spirit into my heart; protect my soul and body, every limb in my body, every fiber of my being, from all possible harm and all traps the Devil may set for me and every temptation to sin. Teach me to give you thanks, O Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”
Amen. (quoted by Weis)
