Nothing beats a good night’s sleep. It’s a wonderful thing to be the recipient of. I am unlike most people because I don’t care for sleeping in, but an afternoon nap is incredibly appealing to me. Many things can get in the way of a good night’s sleep, but one of the most common is simply having a lot of anxiety on your mind.
One of the beautiful things about the Gospel accounts is that we have stories of Jesus sleeping and Jesus being restless. One story of Jesus sleeping is in Mark 4:35–41. As the disciples attempt to cross the Sea of Galilee, a great storm breaks out. The disciples are experienced sailors, but even they are in a perilous situation. They look around and notice that Jesus is not helping them during this time of danger. They rush to wake him up and say, “Teacher, do you care not that we are perishing?” If it wasn’t Jesus that they were talking to in this context, we would also be upset at the individual who has to be found and woken up in a time of danger.
There is nothing more frustrating than someone who does not pitch in and help when help is needed. However, Jesus wakes up and he immediately fixes the situation by calming the storm. He then asks them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” Sleeping at inappropriate times does not appear to be a consistent struggle for Jesus, on the day before he picked his disciples, he stayed up all night praying to God.
So, when is the proper time to sleep, and when is it proper to be restless? Well, Jesus has a different answer than we might expect. In times of peril, Jesus reminds us that God is in control. There is nothing to fear. Do you wonder if God is sometimes responding to prayers as Jesus did to his disciples on the boat: “Why are you afraid? Don’t you have faith that I can handle this? Why don’t you rest, and I will take care of this.” As Paul would say, “Whether we live or die we are the Lord’s!” What we may see as a completely hopeless situation to Jesus raising someone from the dead is as easy as waking someone up from sleep.
However, there are times when staying up late is warranted. In Jesus’s life, we see that Jesus would stay up late and pray to align himself with God’s will, for his disciples, and for guidance in making important decisions. Jesus forces us to reevaluate what are truly big issues in our lives. What is worth sleeping through, and what is worth praying through?
The conclusion of it all is this. If you ask God in faith to intervene or help, say “Amen” and go to sleep. God can handle it from here. On the other hand, if something is going to rely on your strength and your decision, be extra cautious and maybe sacrifice sleep for more prayer. In either case, the person who prays in faith and humility will be heard.
Jared Kelly
Dalraida church of Christ is a congregation of Christians that meet in the mid-town area of Montgomery, Alabama. Our goal and purpose is to seek and follow God and His Word in everything that we do in life.