“In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.” (Psalms 4:8, NLT)
“Here is another story Jesus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. 25 But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. 26 When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew.” (Matthew 13:24-26, NLT)
I’ve found throughout life that the enemy likes to attack our sleep. If something is bothering me, it seems to bother me the most at night when it’s time to rest. The enemy knows that rest is powerful, it recharges you for the next day ahead and if he can steal your sleep he can steel your energy, your focus, and your ability to be productive.
With that, I want to look at the passages above. The passage in Psalms starts out with, “In peace.” That phrase translates into many words: well, happy, friendly, health, prosperity, peace. Most people lie down to rest but few lie down to rest in peace. The passage says, “In peace I will lie down and sleep.” Some translations say, “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep.” Both here means at the same time.
The passage above in Matthew refers to how the enemy works in our lives. We plant good seed, but as we sleep, the enemy comes in to plant weeds among the wheat. Now, this can be referring to two different types of sleep. As we sleep in the natural the enemy likes to attack and steal our sleep as I mentioned above. But also, if we are asleep spiritually, the enemy will sneak in while we aren’t aware so plant weeds amongst our wheat.
The key in all of this is our mindset and perspective. Determine that you will not allow the enemy to steal your peace or your sleep. If you struggle with this, make this passage in Psalms a key verse for your life. Declare every night, “In peace I WILL lie down AND sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.” Stop allowing the enemy to steal your peace and steal your sleep.
