Ann Siddal, from #15
In July/August 2019 I decided it was time to address my struggle to go to bed on time, and I foraged for Bible verses and prayers to help me turn over a new leaf, writing them up in a little booklet I made.
My struggles also inspired a song to share with a group of creatives who might also be trying to do too much and regularly miss out on the benefits of A Good Night’s Sleep. (Follow the link for the lyrics and a recording).
I’m still struggling to go to bed on time, but during this Lenten season I hope to make it my daily practice, drawing on my collection of Bible verses and prayers for inspiration, and maybe adding a few more entries.
I share this resource with you, aware that our struggles with sleep may have different causes but a good night’s sleep will benefit us all.
Please feel free to share your own inspirations in the comments.
#1
We can rest,
we can sleep,
we can say no to this activity or that invitation,
we can quit the exhausting work of trying to sustain ourselves,
because You never slumber or sleep.
You are faithful always.
O my soul, praise the Lord.
~ by Grace Olsen Claus, posted on re:worship (excerpt)
#2
I lie down and sleep;
I wake again,
because the Lord sustains me.
~ Psalm 3:5
#3
In peace I will lie down and sleep,
for you alone, Lord,
make me dwell in safety.
~ Psalm 4:8
#4
In vain you rise early and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat –
for he grants sleep to those he loves.
~ Psalm 127:2
#5
My soul finds rest in God
~ Psalm 62:5
#6
May the favour of the Lord our God rest on us;
establish the work of our hands for us –
yes, establish the work of our hands.
~ Psalm 90:17
#7
All the lands are at rest and at peace;
they break into singing.
~ Isaiah 14:7
#8
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
~ Psalm 91:1
#9
Return to your rest, my soul,
for the Lord has been good to you.
~ Psalm 116:7
#10
This is the resting-place,
let the weary rest –
this is the place of repose – listen.
~ Isaiah 28:12 (adapted)
#11
In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength.
~ Isaiah 30:15
#12
I am saying this for your own good,
not to restrict you,
but that you may live in a right way
in undivided devotion to the Lord.
~ 1 Corinthians 7:35 (taken out of context, but still valid)
#13
There will be no rest day or night
for those who worship the beast and its image …
~ Revelation 14:11
#14
Lord, you put twenty-four hours in a day,
and gave me a body which gets tired and can only do so much.
Show me which tasks you want me to do,
and help me live prayerfully, as I do them.
Sharpen my senses that I may truly
see what I am looking at,
taste what I am eating,
listen to what I am hearing,
face what I am suffering,
celebrate the ways I am loved,
and off you whatever I am doing,
so that the water of the present moment
may be turned into wine.
~ by Angela Ashwin, from The Book of a Thousand Prayers, #262
#15
In the footsteps of centuries of pilgrims, go now …
Consider how you may simplify your days,
so that you may travel lightly.
Be alert to all that could side-track you:
notice that which beckons alluringly,
or with apparently greater urgency,
than the pilgrim journey Christ invites.
Do not try to cover
more than one good day’s journey at a time.
Know when to stop for food and sleep,
so that the journey will not be too great for you.
Walk humbly, knowing that the goal
is not recognition, achievement or reward,
but simply to have come to know Christ
and yourself more intimately.
Be on the lookout for other pilgrims,
caring for those who limp, or fall;
those who cannot see the way forward:
pilgrimage is richer in community.
Go now: place your hand
into the outstretched hand of Jesus Christ,
allow the words of the story to guide you,
and pray for purity of heart and mind. Amen.
~ by Ann Siddall, posted on re:worship (adapted)
#16
God with us in our restlessness and wakefullness,
give us your rest.
God with us in our sleep and calm,
give us vision of newness.
~ by Meredith Holladay, posted on re:worship (extract)
