After a long day, I breathed a sigh of relief. Wrapped tight in my blankets, my head nestled in my pillow, I settled in for what I hoped would be a good night’s sleep.

Then, when all was quiet, thoughts and worries attacked about the past, present, future, friends, family, the world, politics, and a million other thoughts zinged around in my head. Ack! I tossed and turned and felt so very helpless, until I remembered sleep is a gift from God. Paul reminds us as Christians we have the power to take our thoughts captive. Therefore, I can tell those troublesome thoughts they have no right to infringe on my time, the time given to me by God for rest, and they can just wait until morning. I mentally held up my hand and wagged my finger at those annoying thoughts and told them, “No! God gave me this time and this is my time to sleep. Go away!” Y’all it worked! My thoughts settled, and I drifted off to sleep.

Even if concerns are real and worrisome, we can fight back with God’s truth and God’s word. We don’t need to be anxious about anything, we can cast our cares on the Lord, trust Him, rely on Him and bring everything to Him, which means we can rest in God’s care. We can truly rest.

When those anxious thoughts come a calling, call on Jesus. Your time, daytime or nighttime, you can rest in God’s care. “Come to Me, …and I will give you rest.” ~ Matthew 11:28

“Rest in the Lord. Take every thought captive to make it obey Christ, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.” ~ Psalm 37:7, 2 Corinthians 10:5, 1 Peter 5:7, Philippians 4:6-7, Proverbs 3:24

“Return to your rest, O my soul. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread? Those who know Your name will put their trust in You, for You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You. I will lie down and sleep peacefully, for you, Lord, make me safe and secure.” ~ Psalm 116:7, Psalm 27:1, Psalm 9:10, Psalm 4:8

From Present in His Presence by Lisa Buffaloe

https://lisabuffaloe.com