The Theology of Sleep

“The best cure for insomnia is to get a lot of sleep.”  W.C. Fields

  When was the last time you heard someone talk about the good night’s sleep they had? How about that they slept in? Or, that they are pleased they’re getting at least eight hours of sleep a night? Probably close to never. Did you ever think we’d live in a day when people pay to have a sleep study done on their sleep patterns? That a lack of sleep is a major health problem?

  The busier and more complex our culture becomes, the more we sacrifice sleep. Our competing priorities, such as work, family responsibilities and social obligations squeeze our commitment for sleep. Studies show women in general seem to battle sleep issues more than men, and this starts early—often sometime in pre-adolescence.

  Too often because of our heritage of the Protestant work ethic, we associate sleep with laziness. It can be the case but for most of us, it’s not our issue. Our lack of sleep is our issue.

  Did you know the Bible has a lot of positive things to say about sleep? Psalms 3:5 “I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.” Psalms 127:2 “It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for He gives to His beloved sleep.” Proverbs 3:24 “If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.”

  When someone tells you they’re attempting to get by on a minimal amount or less sleep, take it as a warning. People tend to be crabbier and more short-tempered if they’re sleep deprived. And don’t get in a car with someone who’s sleep-deprived. Sleep-deprived driving is a major cause of accidents. Studies show it can impair the human brain as much as alcohol.

  Sleep plays a vital role in thinking and learning. A lack of sleep hurts cognitive processes. It impairs attention, alertness, concentration, reasoning and problem solving. This makes it more difficult to learn efficiently. During the night, various sleep cycles play a role in “consolidating” memories in the mind. If you fail to get enough sleep, you won’t be able to remember what you learned or experienced during the day.

  Chronic sleep loss can put you at a higher risk for heart disease, high blood pressure or even a stroke. Sleep specialists say sleep-deprived men and women report lower libidos and less interest in intimacy. Depleted energy, sleepiness and increased tension may be largely to blame.

  Sometimes a lack of sleep indicates a subtle spiritual problem. We think we must put in inordinate amounts of work. We push ourselves because we feel we must take care of ourselves and our families. While we need to be diligent workers, God wants us to trust Him and not jeopardize our health. Other times we toss and turn because we’re not trusting God. We’re worrying, losing needed sleep over what we need to commit to God.   

  A healthy adult will spend about 30% of their time on earth sleeping. If you live 75 years, you’ll spend about twenty-five of those years sleeping. Sleep is part of our design by God. It’s part of our Creator’s ordained rhythm and routine which God stamped into creation. In Genesis we read that God created the heavens and the earth in six days and on the seventh day, God rested.

  Sleep is part of the pattern God gave us. It orders our time, divides our time and then gives energy to our waking time. Sleep is part of God’s created order. It’s a vital aspect of creation God declared, “Good.” Most of us forget the Lord Jesus slept. The Gospels tell us of when, after a long day of preaching to the crowds, Jesus was in a boat— deep in sleep.

  Unlike some religions which claim the body is inherently evil, Judeo-Christianity teaches great respect for the human body. The body is something God made good. The body is physical, but it’s spiritual as well. What you do with your body and how you take care of your body matters to God. 1 Corinthians 6:19 reminds us that, “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you, whom you received from God.” So what are some lessons about a theology of sleep?

  How we live in the day affects how we sleep at night. In Proverbs 3, the wise father urges his son to live according to godly wisdom. Then, he sums up the benefits: “Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble; when you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.” Many toss at night because of a guilty conscience. What we do during the day can steal our sleep at night.

  What we think about in bed often reveals our hearts. As you’re lying in bed, before you fall sleep, your mind thinks about many things. Scripture reveals it’s often the things you care about most. Lying in bed, the heart ponders, meditates, worries or even plots. For example, Psalms 63:6 says, “When I remember You upon my bed, and meditate on You in the watches of the night.” What a contrast to Psalms 36:4, “He plots trouble while on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not reject evil.” What do you think about as you lay in bed, before you sleep? It says a lot about the condition of your heart.

  God gives us sleep so we can serve Him. Psalms 127 reminds us that while unbelievers work day and night to get what they want, our Heavenly Father provides for the people of faith. He give us a regular work day and blesses us with sleep. God gives us sleep so we’ll have the strength we need. That way when the daylight comes, we can get out of bed and serve the Lord with a joyful heart.

  God cares about you. He even cares about your sleep. God created and ordained sleep, yet God never sleeps! He designed it for us.

  It’s apparent God created our need for and the blessing of sleep as a constant reminder of how much we need and must rest in Him. Sleep is a daily reminder from God that we’re not God. We think we must work…we must get things done, we’re indispensable. Once a day God turns us into helpless lumps of clay. How humbling to the self-made corporate executive that he has to give up all control and become as limp as a baby virtually every day. Sleep is a powerful reminder that God is God and we’re just humans, mere mortals. God handles the world quite wonderfully while we sleep. In a sense, sleep is like a broken record which comes around with the same message every day: Man is not sovereign. Man is not sovereign. Man is not sovereign. 

  Go ahead, enjoy a good night’s sleep. Remember, too, God is not nearly as impressed with our late nights and early mornings as He is with the peaceful trust we have which casts all of our anxieties on Him and rests. 

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