“In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety.”—Psalm 4:8
I will not have peace in my sleep if the thoughts that are filling my head make my heart race. A few weeks ago,I was exhausted. As I lay down, I started to think, I am so tired. Fatigue is a symptom of Covid. What if I have it? Oh no, I was with my mom today. Did I expose her? While always a possibility that I might have it, the truth was I was up at 6 am and it was midnight…..WAY past my bedtime. I was tired.
I love God’s perfect timing on reading certain devotions. God brought to mind one that I had read that morning that addressed how our life might change if we changed our what-ifs to God if. God if this happens, You are in control. I know You are with me. You know the outcome. From that I went to thanking God on how He had been with me throughout my day. It sure did make it easier for me to fall asleep after I shifted my focus to one of thanksgiving. As I unclouded my eyes from worries, I was reminded of what all God is doing in my life right now.
I’m not going to lie, the next evening I had a dull headache and drainage and my head went right back to what if I gave my mom Covid? I picked back up the anxiety that I had given to God the prior night. Doing this tells God that I don’t trust Him. I started taking immune boosters and taking my temperature every hour. Not exactly living with my feet being grounded in my faith like I wrote about a few weeks ago. Lord, forgive me. God if this happens, You are in control. I am working on kicking those what-ifs to the curb.
In bed that night, I kept repeating Matthew 6:34 do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Dozing off to sleep with God’s Word in my thoughts rather than my cares made for a much more restful sleep. Speaking out scripture is what overrode those anxious thoughts. This is a way for me to protect my mind as I sleep and when I wake-up. Only God can give me peace with uncertainty.
Thanking God for my every day moments helps me to redirect my thoughts on the One who can give me peace in my sleep. This is a way for me to protect my mind as I sleep and before I start my day.
God knows my struggles and where I fall short. His mercy is way bigger than my fears. I know I write about anxious thinking quite a bit, but I can honestly say, that I am in a better able to deal with it now than in my past. I have no doubt my daily Bible reading plan this year has helped me during this pandemic.
Satan wants me to focus on the areas of my life on what I can’t seem to get right. Doing this only brings me down and leaves me feeling defeated. I can’t let these frustrating moments forget my focus.Feelings of failure are not from God. He doesn’t tell me, Lisa, every day you confess the same things to me. Why can’t you straighten up and fly right? No, our loving and generous God gives me His unending grace and mercy. He does the same for you too.He doesn’t get impatient when our trust and faith are lacking. If I didn’t have struggles, I wouldn’t need Jesus. I know I cannot conquer my fears on a daily basis without Him and spending time in His Word.
Dear Lord,
Forgive me when I fall back into old habits of worry, fear and doubt and pick up what I have laid at Your feet. Help me to lean on You and Your Word throughout my day. Remind me of who I am in You. I am worthy. I am loved. You call me Your own. No one can take that from me. I praise You for giving me peace in my sleep through Your Word. I lift those up to you that are struggling with fear and worry with what is going on with this pandemic. I ask for a supernatural calm for those that are losing sleep over what if scenarios. It is in the name of Jesus that I pray these things. Amen
November Memory Verse:
Have you been able to imprint and live out Romans 8:28 on your heart this month?
“Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.”—Romans 12:18 (NLT)
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