Jesus helps during restless night

Not always having good sleep is part of raising kids, so you guess with my three I have some experience with that. I am not operating too well if not having a good sleep and my stamina in these occasions is perhaps below the average. I usually would not resort to waking up my husband or mother in law, as it results in even more hustle for more people and anyways I am the one who has milk which is most effective way to settle the child down. If baby keeps waking up in the night and I am pretty exhausted already, I would try to keep patience and maintain a good attitude at first, but there comes a physical limit after which my flesh starts to struggle against this predicament I find myself in and I am prone to frustration. It only makes things worse, because it is much more difficult to fall asleep afterwards if already feeling upset. However, these are also occasions to ask God’s help and even experience Jesus in a special way.

A few months ago my daughter Viva was having a cold and her nose was blocked.  She kept waking up in the night about every 15 minutes, perhaps about 20 times during that night. As I started to get weary already in the midst of that challenge, suddenly I remembered the story in the Bible, how Jesus was exhausted and fell asleep on the boat and at first, did not wake up even in the storm (Mark 4, 35-41). As I meditated on that, I saw with the eyes of my spirit that Jesus is inviting me to come to the boat and have a nap there just as He did, no matter what my conditions are. Amazingly, I was able to have those 15 min naps in-between Viva’s waking and was feeling refreshed and peaceful. I felt a little calming movement as when being on a boat which lulled me back to sleep.  

On another occasion perhaps about one year ago, during a restless night with Vincent, I was also being near reaching frustrated state, when suddenly a verse of the Bible came to my mind: “And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” (Revelation 21:2)  I was filled with deep peace and was supernaturally strengthened to handle the rest of the night. Although it was a verse totally unrelated to the situation, but the word of God in itself is powerful to work in us in our time of need.

On a side note, God and Jesus can help us to fall asleep also when we struggle with sleeplessness due to other reasons. We need to make sure we have entrusted all matters to Him in prayer. We can rest in the shelter of the Most High, under His wings of protection (Psalm 91). “In peace I will lie down and fall asleep, for you alone, LORD, make me secure.” (Ps 4, 9)