Trouble Sleeping

Don’t you just hate the feeling when you lie in bed at night and can’t sleep if your life depended on it?  Those nights seem to come in waves for me.  Usually I sleep just fine, but then a week rolls around where I can’t sleep for a few days in a row.  It’s not that there’s anything on my mind, either.  I just lay there staring at the ceiling or the wall, somewhere between the land of the living and the world of my dreams.  Time moves along as if it’s nobody’s business, and I lay frustrated knowing that I am wasting my time (but I would never get up for fear that I might fall asleep the next minute) and knowing I will get up in the morning and meander through the day tired and groggy.

Oftentimes what helps me finally drift off is to clear my mind whatever frustration may be there and focus on prayer and worship.  When I was younger (and by younger I mean middle school), I’d pray that God would give me peace and grant me sleep over and over again.  Nowadays, I usually end up with one or two worship songs replaying over and over again in my head, and it works somewhat like a lullaby.

Most recently I had the first verse of “It Is Well” replaying.  Not only is that a peaceful song, but it is a great reminder to be content and at peace with where God has me and everything else that’s going on.

I’m not here to give you tips on how to fall asleep better, but rather to talk about worship songs.  Did you know they’re not just for church on Sunday?  And they’re not just for falling asleep, either.  No, God calls us to live a life in worship toward Him – in song is just one way to do so.  If we are to live a life of worship, then why do we only participate in (song) worship on Sundays’ corporate worship time?  I don’t know about you, but when I get stuck on a good, solid worship song that speaks abundant truth about God, it changes my entire day.  I am more upbeat, more motivated, and more likely to break out in song and rock to it at my desk.

The thing is, there’s something that clicks in us when we are focused on praising God.  Our thoughts are more clear, and our purpose is more evident.  It also can be very educational and humbling as worship songs can reveal yet another trait about God that we may not have realized before.. or even something in our lives that needs to change. Think about it though – we will spend the rest of eternity praising God.  That is our purpose – to glorify God in everything we say and do.  We might as well start now!  Songs are very powerful and get us one step closer to that ultimate purpose.

So why not turn on some of your favorite worship songs today and lose yourself in praising Jesus?

-Alicia