Day 3 — Sweet Sleep

“When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you rest, your sleep will be sweet.”

— Proverbs 3:24 (BSB)

The lights go off. The house gets quiet. And suddenly, your brain turns on.

It’s funny how worries love bedtime. During the day, you’re busy. But when you lie down in the dark, all the thoughts you pushed away come back. The embarrassing thing you said at lunch. The test tomorrow. The argument with your friend. The scary thing you saw on the news. The noise you just heard downstairs.

Maybe you’ve spent a lot of nights lying awake, wishing you could just fall asleep.

Proverbs makes a sweet promise: “When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you rest, your sleep will be sweet.”

This verse is part of a longer passage in Proverbs about living wisely and trusting God. When your life is in God’s hands, you can rest. You don’t have to stay awake guarding everything, because He is guarding you.

Here are some ideas for sweet sleep:

• Give God your worries before bed. Name each one, and tell Him, I’m giving this to You for tonight.
• Think about good things. Instead of replaying the bad parts of your day, thank God for three good things that happened.
• Say a verse. Quietly repeat today’s verse, or Psalm 4:8 or Isaiah 41:10.
• Put down the screen. Screens right before bed can make it harder for your brain to calm down.
• Ask for help. If you’re scared at night, it’s okay to tell a parent, have a night-light or ask for a hug. God gave you people to comfort you.
• Remember who’s awake. God never sleeps. While you rest, He’s watching over you and your family.

You don’t have to solve every problem tonight. Tomorrow’s troubles can wait until tomorrow. Tonight, you can rest in the arms of your Father.

Think about it: What thoughts usually keep you awake at night? What could you do to hand them to God before bed?

Try this: Tonight, before you fall asleep, tell God three things you’re thankful for and one worry you’re giving to Him. Then say Proverbs 3:24.

Dear God, thank You that I can rest because You never sleep. Tonight, I give You my worries: [tell Him]. Help me lie down without fear, and give me sweet sleep. In Jesus’ name, Amen.