Saturday, May 15, 2010

To Sleep or Not To Sleep....On Time with God



Psalm 132:3-5
"I will not enter my house or go to my bed- I will allow no sleep to my eyes, no slumber to my eyelids, till I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob."

You may have noticed the past couple of months my posts have been few and far between.  If I manage to post once a week lately, I've accomplished something.  Where as before, I had so many thoughts buzzing through my mind and emotions in my heart, lately, I have found myself struggling to find inspiration.


There is a reason for that.  Some would blame it on the fact that I have been working over-time lately.  Others would say that maybe it's because I am pregnant and have lost the energy that I once had.  While both of those things are true- the reality is, the busyness of my life has kept me away from the source of my inspiration: God.

I'll be completely honest- it's been a struggle lately to prioritize.  My husband and I are in a season of many transitions.  There seems to be so much to do during the day to prepare, and at the end of it all my earthly body cries out for one thing: SLEEP. 

I think that's why this passage strikes me to the core.  It's referring to the one human desire that we all long for and need.  Sleep.  But in this passage, the author has learned that though his natural desires may long for one thing, his spiritual desires must take precedence.  He learned to see his relationship with God with an intense desperation.  Something that could not be replaced or looked over.

Westernized Christianity makes this so difficult, doesn't it?  Our supernatural desires are covered up so easily by the natural ones...and there is never a loss for things that can replace our spiritual longings.  Our society thrives on giving us physical things to try and replace our spiritual needs.  Everything from our sexuality, to our stomachs finds a way to trump our relationship with God.

And we let them.  We let these things sneak into our lives and become our priority.  We let ourselves put God's word and His presence on the back burner, taking advantage of the love that we know will never leave us.

I am guilty of this, today.  I am guilty of allowing God to remain on hold until I was able to really "get things done".  There is a reason why I have lost my inspiration to post...I have no fuel.  And the most dangerous part of all, I have seen my spiritual starvation seep into other parts of my life as it has effected my attitude and my heart with the ones I love.

So, at the end of the day there is nothing more to say about this topic.  But, there is something to be done.  And I'm going to go do just that.

[For anyone that needs some ideas on where to start with a daily relationship with God, check out that link.  Also, there are some good links below:]

Daily Bread Scripture Reading and Reflection:
Crosswalk:
Oswald Chambers: 
Max Lucado Daily Devotion and Reading:

5 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for this. My post was somewhat similar today. I find I'm closer to God during the winter months & by the time summer hits I've strayed so far I don't even know where to pick back up again. I'd set a challenge for myself this week - to get BACK to where I was a mere few months ago. I'm definitely going to check out some of those links. Thanks for posting this TODAY! I'm sure there are others who need it as much as I do. Good luck with the pregnancy & everything else. I know for myself that sleep trumps (sp?) everything else when I am weak/tired. I will sleep before I'll read a mere Bible passage that could very well have helped me have a more restful night! =) I've followed you for quite some time, but I'm not sure I've ever commented before. I too have been on hiatus, but due to illness. I'm back! Hopefully you are too!

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  2. Crystal,

    Thanks so much for reading and thank you for your thoughts. It's such a challenge to make sure we are constantly making time for God....at the end of the day, that's truly the most important thing in life. I think we forget that everything else is just background noise.

    Thanks for following and for your comments, much appreciated!

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  3. Deb,

    Thanks for sharing. What a great reminder.

    Andrew

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  4. Hey Andrew! Thanks for always reading and for your support...you're a good friend:)

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  5. This verse is definitely going to be posted somewhere in my room! Thanks Deb! :)

    God Bless and Lots of Love,
    Vanessa

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