After being bugged all day by not being able to remember where I first heard the idea of sleep being spiritual and after doing a lot of research (with the help of Heather), we finally found where we first heard this (we think). It is from the book The Life You’ve Always Wanted by John Ortberg. Here’s the exact chunk of the book I was thinking about:
I was surprised to find that the Bible has much to say about what John Ballie called the theology of sleep. Sleep is a gift from God:
I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for you alone, O LORD, make me lie down in safety. – Psalm 4:8
It is an act of trust; I am reminded when I go to sleep that the world is in God’s hands, not mine. The world will get along very well even though I am not awake to try to control things. At the appropriate time, my eyes will open and I will receive the gift of wakefulness once again.
I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the LORD sustains me. – Psalm 3:5
Have you ever tried to pray when you are lacking sleep? Before Elijah was to spend a prolonged time in solitude and prayer at Mount Horeb, the angel of the Lord had him take not one, but two long naps. Contrast this with the disciples at Gethsemane, who could not pray because they kept falling asleep. Sleep is a gift from God.
It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives sleep to the his beloved. – 1 Kings 19:1-9
For some of you reading this book, perhaps the single most spiritual thing you could do right now is to put it down and take a nap.
I find it hilarious that as I am typing and re-reading over this challenging section of this book, it is 12:30am.
I’ve read a book (well, part of a book…I’m still working on it) about this subject. It is called Dream Talk, written by a Christian pastor’s wife named Katrina Wilson. Mrs. Wilson examines each verse in the Bible that mentions sleep and dreaming from both a spiritual and scientific standpoint. The main idea of her book is that we sleep but our spirit does not, so God can communicate with us when we sleep. Not every dream is spiritual, she says, but we should pray for God to use the mode of communication with us and help for those significant dreams to stand out to us so that we may use the message to keep with God’s plan for our lives.
Interestingly, in devo one night with the my kids, the question came up, “Has God ever spoken to you?” Jack says that God spoke to him in a dream once. How awesome is that!? Jack believes that this is the main way that God talks to him, and I’ve never mentioned this idea or book to him. Ahh, the purity of children!
I am a big believer in Sabbath. I think to rest is a spiritual activity because you are reminded that this isn’t your world. It’s your father’s world and he can keep it spinning.
I also think working out is a spiritual discipline and sarcasm is a spiritual gift, so what do I know.
Hmmmm…..it’s 4 am and I’m feeling very unspiritual right now Brian. Can’t sleep at all. Ironic that I got out my laptop and saw this post of yours on sleep of all things….
I think there is probably something to what you and others who have commented have said about sleep being spiritual. We spend up to a quarter to a third of our lives sleeping and that’s by God’s design. Perhaps that’s the best way for us to be still and allow ourselves to be as it was said, completely surrendered to him, listening.
That said, I wish he’d speak to me and tell me to get my butt in bed where I would fall asleep with no problem.
Luke, you go to know a lot. You are a 26 year old pastor. You even beat Jesus to that position.
Wes, when we lived together you never had any trouble going to sleep at around 10:15pm (that is of course with all the lights off and dead silence). What’s happened over the years?