Psalm 4:8 (ESV) — In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

My first night in a hotel away from home is always terrible. I don’t sleep at all. I’m uncomfortable. The pillows aren’t the same as the ones at home. By the time I’m finally settling in on the trip, it is time to go back home. That is one kind of sleeplessness. There is another kind too. There is an inability to sleep that comes from a heavy soul. Many folks endure burdens, pains, and troubles that keep them awake at night. They toss and turn, reflecting on the problems they face, worried about what the next day may hold. 

Have you ever endured this in your life? Are you experiencing it right now? Our passage today has a word for you. The psalmist writes in Psalm 4:8, “In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.” David knew troubles. He experienced enemies who wanted to see him die. Yet we read that he lies down to sleep in peace. He is not restless or tormented by the night. Instead, he has peace, and he rests. 

How does he do this? He knows that God alone makes him dwell in safety. David knows that what would keep him up at night is fear of what other men might do to him. But he knows who rules those men. He knows who is the God of those men. The LORD alone gives David safety. So, if someone is going to take David’s life, it will be because it is the will of the LORD. And David knows there is nothing he can do to stop that. But it is the LORD alone who gives him safety. 

So, David lays his head down at night in peace. This peace isn’t because he knows the future or has complete certainty that he is safe. Instead, he sleeps in peace because he knows the LORD holds his life. Friends, is this not true for each of us too? Of course it is! We can have peace in any and all situations. It is the LORD, not our worry or fretting, that gives us safety. Nobody ever fixed a problem by worrying about it. The LORD alone is our help.

Reflection & Journal:

- What are some things that keep people from resting in peace at night?

- Why is the nighttime a particularly difficult time; a time for people to worry?

- How can believers better trust the LORD so they can have true peace?

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