Sinking Into Grace

Sinking Into Grace

Bible: Psalm 127:1-2

[God] grants sleep to those he loves (V.2).

Reading

Finally, on 8 January 1964, seventeen year old Randy Gardner did something he hadn’t done for eleven days: he nodded off to sleep. He wanted to beat the Guinness Book World Record for how long a human could stay awake. By drinking soft drinks and playing games, Gardner held off sleep for a week and a half. Before finally collapsing, his sense of taste, smell and hearing went haywire. Years later, Gardner suffered from severe bouts of insomnia. He set the record but also proved something we already knew: we need sleep.

Many of us struggle to get a decent night’s rest. Unlike Gardner who avoided sleep on purpose, we might suffer sleeplessness for many reasons—including stress, problems in school or playing on our phones. Sometimes it feels impossible to turn off our brains and just relax.

One psalm-writer tells us that “unless the Lord builds the house,” we work “in vain” (PSALM 127:1). Our “toiling” and our efforts are useless unless God gives us what we need (V.2). Thankfully, God does just that. He “grants sleep to those he loves” (V.2). And God’s love is for all of us. He invites all of us to give our worries to Him, including what may or may not be happening on our phones, and to sink into His rest, into His grace (the undeserved, unending love He has for us).

TRUSTING GOD CARRIES US INTO REST.

Youth Edition – Our Daily Bread Ministries