Lack of Sleep

Psalm 105:4 Seek the Lord and the strength he gives!Seek his presence continually!

My sleep seems to run in cycles. I have moments of relief, sleeping all night and waking feeling well rested. I have other moments of sleeping just a few short hours each night, waking to feel as if I'd never gone to bed. Sometimes I fall asleep at 9pm, other times I am up until 2am. Sleep rarely seems to be consistent and I scarcely feel full of energy.

I have always blamed it on stress. When I'm most stressed is when I sleep the less. Seems logical to me. The past month I've slept very little; the past week I've slept even less. I'm stressed. A doctor once told me when I talked with him about my sleep issue "just lessen your stress". I couldn't help but laugh. Friends tell me "take this medicine, it helps". I can't help but feel that's not natural.

This morning, in my research for a different topic I came across Psalm 105:4. What I realized is that I'm seeking His strength because I'm exhausted and need an extra does of umph; but I don't believe that's what this verse means.

To seek Him continually doesn't mean look around and keep looking like a game of hide and seek; to seek the Lord continually means in everything I do God leads, in every word I say God speaks through me, in every decision I make God is the center. Seek means to keep Him at the center of my being. When I feel depleted it's not because God has left me, it's because I have taken over and said "that's ok, I got this". I fool myself into thinking I can do it. And then, I wake up one day and realize I'm running on fumes and those are about gone.

So, are you in the "lack of sleep" boat with me? If so, let me ask you a few questions that have been laid on my heart for my own situation....

How often are you seeking God? Is it continually? Are you giving all of your life to God or just parts? Are you praying half-hearted? Are you confessing your sins at night before shutting your eyes/talking with God at the end of your day to reflect on the day? Are you thanking God for what you do have? Do you seek God just to be in His presence or because you need something? When you pray do you have moments of silent so you can just listen or are you always talking? Do you read your bible to learn or to say you read it?

Reflect on these questions, be honest with yourself and God, then seek to make the necessary corrections so that together we can get out of that "lack of sleep" boat and be fully energized with His strength to do all that we know in our heart He longs for us to do!