"THY SLEEP SHALL BE SWEET"

So many shows that you watch on television these days run commercials that recommend certain drugs for those who have difficulty in sleeping. There seem to be a variety of new drugs now that help with this problem. Recently I was told that many, many people are having sleep problems. It seems to be almost epidemic today.

The darkness of the night tends to bring the fears of people to the surface of their thought, causing great anxiety. It seems to be a universal problem, but it is not an unsolvable problem.

The solution lies in quieting one’s fears, in quieting the fear of being separated from good. I have always taken great comfort from the Bible verse in Proverbs, chapter 2, verse 24: “When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.” It seems to me that this is a beautiful promise to anyone who leans on it.

Recently while visiting relatives, the conversation centered around the nightmares each one of them always have on a fairly regular basis. These relatives are not the type to pray about their problems, and so expect to experience these nightmares as a normal part of living. But it brought back to my memory the fact that I no longer have nightmares. I cannot remember a time when I have had one. They apparently stopped after I had discovered a short paragraph in one of Mary Baker Eddy’s writings, other than Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. This small book talks about her life and what led her to the discovery of Christian Science. It is called “Retrospection and Introspection.”

The paragraph that I read in this small book is this: “…if you fall asleep, actually conscious of the truth of Christian Science, ---namely that man’s harmony is no more to be invaded than the rhythm of the universe, --you cannot awake in fear or suffering of any sort.” (Ret. 61:8)

These words spoke to my heart and I have done exactly as they say to do for many years now. Every night as I close my eyes, I fill my thought with the truth in this paragraph, that my harmony can no more be invaded than the rhythm of the universe. The results have been no more nightmares.

But there is another wonderful effect, as shown by what happened to me last night. I awoke with a stomachache. It came to me that the dinner I ate did not agree with me. But immediately, another thought came that the dinner had been prepared by a family member with love and therefore could not harm me. I fell sound asleep for the rest of the night and the stomachache faded into oblivion. Because of this prayer that fills my thought as I fall asleep each night, I now find that I am more spiritually ready to pray and whatever has tried to trouble my sleep leaves quickly.

There is a wonderful saying that my aunt has near her bed. When I go to stay with her, I love to read it. It says: “Every evening I turn my worries over to God. He’s going to be up all night anyway.”

We are never outside of God’s care, nighttime or daytime. Hold to this fact and your rest shall be sweet and peaceful.