My Sleep Aid – Psalm 63

It’s 10:48pm, and I should have been sleeping an hour ago. I had another steroid shot in my foot at noon today, so if past experience holds true, the steroid-buzz should wear off around . . . 2am.

Ugh.

My Litany of Sleep Aids

Sleep has been one of the casualties since my Chronic Illness Battle began in 1996. I’ve tried all sorts of sleep aids—unnatural, natural, and supernatural.

First there was the valerian tea—holy cow, that stuff tasted AWFUL! And it didn’t help a bit. Then came the melatonin tablets, then capsules, then gel tabs. I still stared at the ceiling while husband, daughters, and the dog snored happily through the night.

Then I moved to the unnatural. Lunesta first. Child’s play.

We jumped to the big Kahuna: Ambien (cue Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony with a gasp – duh, duh, duh, duuuuuuuuh). Yes, I admit it. I’ve taken Ambien (mainly when I travel) for nearly twenty years. Sleep like a baby. Praise Jesus!

Good-Bye, Big Kahuna

In October of 2019, we made our air arrangements for the March 2020 Israel Tour. I realized I’d need to sleep on our non-stop, overnight flight from Newark to Tel Aviv to be ready for a full day of touring.

The thing about Ambien is it loses some of its effectiveness after you take it for a while. Even though I only took it when traveling (or when I have a steroid shot in my foot!), it’s still lost some effectiveness because of my long years of use.

So I STOPPED taking it in October. Cold turkey.

I struggled. An October 10-night-stay away was ugly. In early November, there were the overnights in Nashville for the Christy Awards. Did you notice the dark circles? Later that month, I was Grouchy Grammy while babysitting the Atlanta grands. Poor babies.

Why am I telling you this? Because by December’s travel, I was desperate—and the Lord led me to the best sleep aid EVER!

My Favorite Psalm

Have you heard this quote?

If you can’t sleep, start praying—and the devil will put you to sleep.

I don’t want to give my enemy too much credit, but I’m absolutely certain the Lord can help me sleep!

In peace I will lie down and sleep,

for you alone, Lord,

make me dwell in safety.

Psalm 4:8

Peace and sleep had become a distant memory about a decade ago, when I was struggling with some pretty stinkin’ thinkin’. Lots of fear and depression plagued me while my health adjusted to the new stresses of a writing career. It came with blessings, of course, but also pressures I hadn’t anticipated.

So I had a choice.

I could either eat more pills—natural and unnatural—or I could feed my soul the supernatural Bread of Life. I figured even if I didn’t get anymore sleep, God’s Word would at least dish up more peace than searching the internet for the next best remedy.

That’s when I happened upon Psalm 63 . . .

A psalm of David—in the Desert of Judah

O God, you are my God,

earnestly I seek you;

my soul thirsts for you,

my body longs for you,

in a dry and weary land

where there is no water.

I have seen you in the sanctuary

and beheld your power and your glory.

Because your love is better than life,

my lips will glorify you.

I will praise you as long as I live,

and in your name I will lift up my hands.

My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;

with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

On my bed I remember you;

I think of you through the watches of the night.

Because you are my help,

I sing in the shadow of your wings.

My soul clings to you;

your right hand upholds me.

Psalm 63:1-8 (NIV84)

Best Sleep Aid Ever

Did you notice that last paragraph that starts out, “On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night…” David didn’t have Ambien. He relied solely on the God who created the stars he counted when he couldn’t sleep.

I still recite these eight verses when sleep eludes me. Even though my brain is addled by fifteen years of pain meds and Ambien, I can recite these verses by memory. NOT because I’m good at memorizing things. I can’t even remember what I had for supper last night.

I wrote these eight verses out with pen and paper for weeks—until I could write them without looking at my Bible. THAT’S how I memorize now that I’m over fifty. If you have memory challenges like I do, try my method. If you absolutely can’t memorize, just write it out on cards that you keep tucked away—but always nearby.

Best Ammunition for Mind Battles

Maybe you don’t have trouble sleeping. Good for you! Reciting this psalm also carried me through three root canals, a hysterectomy, and steroid shots between my toes. During both physical and spiritual mind battles, I resort to the Sword of the Spirit.

“Take [up] the . . . sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:17

It’s the only weapon that’s effective against our true enemy in the spiritual realms.

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12

If you’d like to take a look at the Sword I fashioned for battle in 2011, you can download it here: https://mesuandrews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Daily-Scripture-Prayer.pdf.

Or perhaps you’d like to fashion your own Sword. Flip through your Bible to see which passages you’ve marked as favorites. Ask your pastor for suggestions. Be alert as the Spirit leads you to just the right Scripture to add to your unique combination of peace-giving verses.

A Question for YOU!

• From what troubles does your mind need a holy distraction?

I’d love to hear your favorite peace-giving Scriptures in the comments below so I can pray for you.

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Tweet-Ables!

• I’ve tried all sorts of sleep aids: unnatural, natural, and supernatural. Wanna know which psalm works better than anything?
• Terrible at memorizing Scripture? Let this menopausal, Swiss-cheese-brain, dim-bulb-of-a-gal give you a great tip that WORKS!
• Download my Daily Scripture Prayer and wield the Sword of the Spirit in your current thought battle.