Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Merciful (07/25/24)
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TITLE: THE SLEEPLESS GIANT | Previous Challenge Entry
By Nancy Sullivan
08/01/24 -
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“What am I missing, Lord? I have prayed from every angle of asking, confessing, acknowledging, and deep breathing - begging really - for a few hours of restful sleep. It just does not come. Could it still be part of the grieving process?”
But Sunday morning did come. Kimberly watched the clock until the last possible minute would be enough to allow her to get ready and make it to church on time. At least in her later adult years she did discover that coffee with enough flavored creamer was drinkable. She fixed that coffee-enhanced creamer and headed for the shower.
Kimberly managed to pull together an outfit of slacks and a blouse she hoped she hadn’t worn in the past 2 or 3 weeks, patched up her hair and her face, put her constant companion in her dog crate, and made it to the car. Hopefully, she had not forgotten anything. This time.
She was only a short distance from home when she began praying another conversational prayer to the Lord about her situation.
“Lord, I’ve tried over-the-counter sleep aids, one prescription that succeeded only in giving me a headache, listening to hymns or one of my favorite online preachers to distract my thoughts long enough to doze off. Nothing helps for more than a quick overnight nap.”
She had always shied away from daytime naps for fear that they would keep her awake at night. While she did occasionally fall asleep in front of the TV, intentional naps were not even part of the equation in hindrances to a normal sleep pattern.
As she prayed, Kimberly realized that she was still able to get through the day, including church on Sunday mornings, even driving without any dire repercussions. She diagnosed her condition as being “a functioning insomniac.” It was then that she realized the Lord does not abandon her in the middle of the night any more than He would during the waking hours of her adjusting to life as a widow.
It also occurred to her that she had been dreading bedtime because it would just mean more tossing and turning. She would stay awake, either watching TV or on mindless social media, hoping exhaustion would be her friend and allow her some quality rest – at any hour. That fear of not sleeping caused more stress and helped to create the perfect nightly storm. She placed that in the Lord’s hands along with the other failed “remedies” she had tried. Tonight, and all future nights, she resolved go to bed at an earlier time and simply relax.
“If I sleep, I sleep. If I can’t sleep, I’ll just rest.”
“No more creative ways to trick my mind into sleep, Lord. This is between You and me. I trust You to give me the rest I need, whether during the night when ‘the whole wide world is fast asleep’ or at any time my body signals that I need to rest. You give me the alertness I need to get through each day.”
Kimberly changed her prayer to one of gratitude for His presence and protection. For His strength and for His compassion.
She noticed the difference that first night when her body seemed to mold into the mattress rather than lie on top of it like a stiff 2’ x 4’. She would no longer feel the dread of bedtime that had haunted her for years, especially since her husband lost his life to COVID in 2021.
“I’m seeing some improvement, Lord. I still long for at least 4 or 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep. You never promise to remove my problems or to heal whatever health maladies I face. You simply promise to be with me in every situation. And I can talk to You through the night because...
“You never sleep.”
“Great is Thy faithfulness.
Great is Thy faithfulness.
Morning by morning, new mercies I see.
All I have needed, Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.”
"I will lift up my eyes to the mountains, From where will my help come?
My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; He who watches over you will not slumber.”
Psalm 121:1-3 NASB
True story.
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