What is more aggravating than desiring a good night’s sleep after a long day at work and not experiencing it. And it’s even more exasperating enduring repeated sleepless nights the older a person gets–like this writer. Sometimes the culprit for those sleepless nights are our layered thoughts, anxious ones covered with the thick icing of stressful worries.

I knew Savannah Guthrie, of NBC’s The Today Show was “real people,” as they say in the south, when I read her devotional, Mostly What God Does. It showed up in my stocking from Mrs. Claus on Christmas morning last month.

Since I can’t read the Bible cold-turkey, and yes I’ve tried, I depend on devotional books to kind of warm me up to spiritual things before reading scripture, like a jogger depends on stretching before a good run.

Guthrie writes, “Have you ever noticed how mundane concerns can take on outsized proportion when we lie in our beds, at our most vulnerable?” (page 95)

She gets it. More importantly God gets it and He gets us, His children who live in a world that never shuts down. What is up with people leaving their phones on all night as it sits on their nightstand?

Even though I do turn my smart-phone off before bed, and refuse to carry it into weekly church services, so I’m not distracted, I don’t know how to turn off my brain during those dreaded sleepless nights–with the exception of one powerful spiritual exercise, modeled many times by men and women in the Bible.

Specifically, two people, a man and a woman. They both used this activity when they were in dire straits: Hannah and David. They didn’t know each other but they knew the One who knew their unique situations.

Hannah wanted a baby son but couldn’t get pregnant like her husband’s “other” wife. Back then, it was a disgraceful thing to be childless. And I’m assuming, she lost a lot of sleep over it. So one day, she got up and made her way to a place called Shiloh to worship. She repeated this practice for­–y-e-a-r-s. I Samuel chapter 1 tells Hannah’s story:

1. “And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish.” (vs. 10, NKJV)
2. “Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard.” (vs.13, NKJV)
3. “So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.” (vs. 18b, NKJV)

What did Hannah do with her dilemma? She fasted, she wept, she prayed, then ate and moved on. She gave her impossible situation, from a human perspective to God.

Then there is David’s story. He was weary of his enemy, King Saul who continued to stalk him for–y-e-a-r-s with the goal of execution. I Samuel chapter 23 tells David’s story:

1. “And Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah. So Saul said, “God has delivered him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars.” (vs.7, NKJV)
2. “Then David said, “O Lord God of Israel, Your servant has certainly heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah to destroy the city for my sake.” (vs.10, NKJV)
3. “Will the men of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as Your servant has heard” O Lord God of Israel, I pray, tell Your servant.” (vs.11a, NKJV)
4. “And the Lord said, “He will come down.” (vs.11b, NKJV)
5. “Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?” (12a, NKJV)
6. “And the Lord said, They will deliver you.” (12b, NKJV)
7. “So David and his men, about six hundred, arose and departed…” (13a, NKJV)

David had such an intimate relationship with God that he kept the lines of communication open through the spiritual discipline of prayer and the dialogue was very specific. David asked if his enemy was still coming to get him and God said yes, but He delivered David a man who gave his impossible situation, from a human perspective to God.

Many of the sleepless nights we experience that are loaded with anxious thoughts of impossibilities, are also eased by quoting scripture back to God, like “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7, NKJV)

Can’t sleep? Talk to God. Be specific. Quote Scripture. Give it to God. Move on and rest in His peace. That’s one great thing about sleepless nights. We are given the opportunity to exercise the spiritual discipline of prayer, no matter how long the night and how deep the problems. Open your eyes, open your hearts and-p r a y. And be thankful that sleep didn’t get in the way.

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