Daily Devotional

Sleep captures me every night. I can drink coffee, sing or watch a movie to delay sleep, but sleep will come over me like a fog rolling into a valley. Sleep always wins. God gave us this turn-off switch to nourish our bodies and minds. Because we live in a sin-filled world, our sleep can be plagued by nightmares. Sometimes the nightmare is real.

My husband traveled frequently to start up a new ministry called Jaron Ministries International. Shortly after beginning this ministry there was a six-month period of time when I had a stalker. He only came when Jim was gone on a ministry trip. He usually came after midnight and stood outside my bedroom window. A couple of times he waited in the bushes in the front of my house and called out to me as I was unlocking the front door. The Fresno police and our neighbor who worked in the Sheriff’s Department worked hard to catch him. The stalker always alluded them. They only saw footprints. Our church put up motion lights around our house. They were all praying.

Jim was so worried he began to question whether he should be traveling. He and I decided we did not want evil to thwart Jaron Ministries. We were convinced God was leading us to start up this ministry. He provided our friends, our church family, our neighbors and the police to protect me and our three teenaged daughters. Whenever Jim was gone, I was on high alert ready to make the calls for help and thoroughly exhausted from the stress and lack of sleep. During this scary time, it was difficult to sleep.            

One morning after an especially difficult night I cried out to God:
“I need sleep. Please Lord can you help me sleep tonight and have an angel wake me up if  the stalker comes? I choose to trust you.”

That night I slept like a baby, until 2 a.m. when I awoke with clarity. The stalker was back.  As I phoned the police and my neighbor, I thanked the Lord for waking me up. I also thanked the Lord for some sleep before the stalker came. Sleeping soundly until the Lord awakened became my routine when Jim was gone.  

Eventually, the stalker stopped coming. I don’t know for sure how but God delivered us. This living nightmare taught me to trust God. I chose to ask for God’s help. He answered. This is the plan God directed me to:

• Read God’s Word before I drift off to sleep.
• Praise the Lord who will deliver me from all my fears.
• Trust in the Lord to watch over me when I am sleeping.
• Put my physical safety in the hands of the Lord.
• Fill my mind with Scripture-based Christian music.
• Fill my heart with Scripture.

Psalm 4:8 “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord make me dwell in safety.”Psalm 34:4 “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.”
Psalm 56:4 “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me.”
Proverbs 3:21 “My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight.”
Proverbs 3:24 “When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down your sleep will be sweet.”

I often choose to do all of the above. And when I do, I am ready for a good night’s sleep. Try it.

For Parents and Grandparents:

• It can be especially distressing for parents to see their kids suffer through nightmares. Establish a routine of preparation for sleep based on the above plan.
• Encourage your kids to talk about their nightmares. Remind them that God is more powerful than their bad dreams. Pray with them for deliverance.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.