Napping in the Lord

I have some little peculiarities in my napping that God has been teaching me some things about. I lie on my back, and start telling my various muscle-groups to relax, and I consciously relax them as much as I am able. After a little while, I notice that I can “sink” down a little more in relaxation, and I breathe a bit slower, and then, when I’m really relaxed, my jaw relaxes in some odd way that I began to make a little pah! sound. I’m conscious of this sort of snore, but too relaxed generally to be distracted by it. I count it a “sign,” if you will, of my successful relaxation. But the proof comes when I’m finished napping, and try a streeeeeeetch of all my muscles, and it feels so good! I am now ready to face the remainder of the day with new energy.

I was reflecting on this, and asking the Lord to show me what I could learn spiritually from this, and He began to talk to me about “spiritual napping.” When I take my burdens to the Lord in prayer, He wants me to so successfully let them go that I become spiritually “relaxed” enough to make some peculiar little spiritual “noise” of relaxation (I don’t know that I can come up with a description of that at this point), but then the real proof comes when it is time to “stretch,” so-to-speak. One night it was taking me a while to get my cares in the Lord’s hands, but I asked Him to help me release them all to Him and really relax spiritually (1 Peter 5:7). I don’t remember when I went to sleep or if I could recall a little spiritual “snoring,” so-to-speak, but I do remember waking up with a profound sense of gratitude to the Lord for all His goodness to me. I was ready to tackle a new day with renewed spiritual energies!

I recommend to you, at any age, spiritual “napping,” and please pray for me that I get better at it myself!

—a brother in the Lord