Sleep Experiment

If you know me, you know sleep is an issue for me and many in my family line. Steve says it's cuz we worry, but I have 'excused' it as just something I inherited; and that he simply chooses to live in denial (those are fun conversations;). Stress, anxiety, hormones...all kinds of reasons sleep is difficult. As I am spending more and more time in the psalms I see a pattern; a practice of David's that I've tried to ignore, or simply write off because he is a poet and songwriter. Have you noticed how many times he exhorts us to sing a new song, or recall to mind the wonders of God? Have you noticed how often he mentions the will in choosing to praise, to give thanks and to recall? And, it certainly wasn't because he had nothing to worry about! I can't imagine the load this king carried.

Here's one from Psalm 104:34
"May all my thoughts be pleasing to Him for I rejoice in the Lord."

Another from Psalm 149
"For You delight in me---You crown me with victory
I can rejoice that You honor me and I WILL sing for joy as I lie on my bed
I WILL let praises of You be in my mouth."

Flowers in the swamp

On Saturday, the Lord graciously drew my attention to this practice again. Here are a few of my thoughts as He gently and humbly invited me to learn (Matt.11:28-30). Lord, I'm very good at remembering to pray for pressing issues on my heart and I spend far too much time begging you to act (same old song). I'm realizing these are worried prayers, not prayers of faith. I want that to change Lord---I need transformation, radically. You never tell me to recall to mind those things. You tell me to cast those things on You. To not be anxious. I'm not good at casting, I'm better at reeling! You don't tell me to deny them, or to ignore them, but to cast them on You because You care.

Philippians 4:8-9  repeats the same theme. Where to FIX my mind and it comes with the same promise of peace.
So, here is the experiment: During the night, NO praying for issues that make me anxious, but only fill my mind and mouth with praise. Only praise. Willfully choose, in His power, to do so. Anxious prayer is not an option. Busy mind full of detail prayers are not an option. Only praise. Okay.

Sunday morning. First line from my journal: I slept all night! Thank you Father, thank You for inviting me to praise...

Monday morning. I slept all night again. Why? Because I put your Word into practice. I did not make supplications in the night. I filled my mouth with praise, and my mind with only things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

What do you know? He is faithful to His promises when I put His Word into practice. All for MY good, and HIS pleasure. The experiment will continue. I'll keep you posted.