Something is overwhelming about the 3 am hour when worries flood my mind and a list of to-dos pounds in my head! Many friends have also shared their troubles with this sinister hour.
God is also there during my 3 am wake-up call, reminding me of the gifts of His nearness. His gentle whisper never fails to lead me in the right direction, reminding me of all His promises and that I have nothing to fear. I have learned when I make time for Him, He takes care of me.
Often, a change of attention, looking at God instead of my problems, makes all the difference.
God’s Word says in Psalm 100:4: “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.” Interestingly, it is the same today, as in the Old Testament, when the Israelites used to carry God’s presence with them in the Tabernacle; the outer courts where they entered were filled with praise. God draws near to us through our praises when we take the time to notice and thank Him for His goodness instead of being overwhelmed by our struggles.
So, instead of listening to my worries last night, I listened to my Father and entered His presence with Thanksgiving. In my sleepy stupor, I reverted to my ABCs, going through the alphabet of things for which I am thankful. Bear with me in this. A is for apple, which made me think of all the beautiful flavors God has created, including the summer watermelon at the top of my list. B is for my daughter Bella, one of my greatest joys and teachers, and then I started thanking God for all the other people who have helped me along in my faith. When we start noticing God’s gifts, there are so many we can’t stop, and I fell back into a sweet sleep until morning.
So instead of counting sheep, let’s count our blessings and let God, the good Father that He is, lull us back to sleep.
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