Night, Night

Sleep More, and Trust the Lord

Improving your worship and witness by sleeping—sleeping more, and soundly. How?

1. You’re a man, a creature. God is Creator. Sleep. Show God and the world that you know your limitations. You’re a finite creature; He, the Infinite One, never tires.

2. Demonstrate full trust and confidence in Jesus Christ. You cannot watch over your body, soul, home, wife, husband, children, horse, cow, gold fish and emails, but He can and does. Although you sleep, He remains steadfast never taking His eyes off of you. Close your eyes, and snore. He’s there beside your household, your neighborhood, your office, your field and your church.

3. Tell the gospel by sleeping. The gospel addresses us body and soul. Tell the world that your body is weak, but He is strong. Tell the world that your body is growing tired, which reminds us of disease and degeneration. Tell the gospel by showing your spouse and children that you’re anticipating the day when you will get a new body that will never die. Tell of the coming translation from this life to the next. The Spirit will soon revive flesh and blood to be like His glorious body. Sleep, for resurrection is coming!

4. Mimic God’s delight about His Son’s incarnation—that is, the physical body, our Lord’s and ours, remains a good gift. Though our God is the One who never slumbers, nor sleeps, He has experienced sleep. It is not His character to sleep, but He did experience it! Jesus came, and flat-out hit physically exhausting walls! He, like us, knew the ups and downs of full-fledged embodiment. In this way, His own incarnation speaks of how He entered into every area of life for us, and yet, without sin. Sleep telegraphs to the world we live and move in this world, and He came after our pattern, in the very likeness of human flesh. God's rescue provides for our bodies. The incarnation of Jesus tells of the renewing work for the whole world.

5. God rested on the seventh day. He bestows on us the good gift of cocking the head back, even mouth wide open catching flies, to Z-z-z-z-z the afternoon or night away.

Conk out for Christ. Amen?

G. Mark Sumpter