Sure I'm Awake! I'm Having a Wide-Awake Party!

All my life I’ve known how incredibly important a good night’s sleep is for our health but getting that good night’s sleep is sometimes a major feat – especially when we do our best thinking in the night when it’s peaceful and quiet. My cousin mentioned she was struggling to sleep because she has so much on her mind. I understood her. Her precious husband of over 52 years passed away last week. I remember those sleep-deprived nights after my own husband passed away – “What do I need to do next? What will tomorrow hold? Will I go or will I stay? Why? When? Where? How?” The thoughts bombarded my mind and kept me wide awake.

My Mom was a light sleeper. There's plenty of traits my Mom had that I want, but not that one. Always a sound sleeper, now I've found myself waking up more often, and after only 5 or 6 hours of sleep, I'm wide awake. My dear mom-in-law at 96 boasts of falling asleep before her head hits her pillow and doesn't wake up until she's had a good 8 or 9 hours of sleep. With all the other physical issues she's had, I'm so thankful, sleep isn't one of them!

I'll pray and go through all kinds of mental exercises as I force my eyes to stay shut. My favorite shut-mind-down tactic is by thinking alphabet adjectives of God: "A = awesome, B = Bread of Life, C = Creator, etc. Often, I'll fall back asleep. But what if God has a reason for us to have an occasional party?

Sometimes, I just give it up and have a “wide-awake” party as I follow King David's lead. “I lie awake thinking of You, meditating on You through the night. Because You are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of Your wings.” Psalm 63:6-7. King David had significant reasons to stay awake. He penned those words in the wilderness, on the run from a vast army led by his own rebellious son. Yikes! He had every reason in the world to lie awake at night, but instead of fearing for his life or using those wide-awake hours to devise a brilliant plan of escape, he thought about God as his helper and joy-giver.

What if God's plans for us are nighttime meditations like King David? Our Creator just might want our undivided attention, and what better time to have that attention, than when we're not distracted by phone calls, social media, and "to do" lists?

So, I have come to this lightning-fast-mind conclusion. He "never slumbers or sleeps" (Psalm 121:4) and He promised "to give his beloved sweet sleep" (Psalm 127:2). I am His beloved, and if I’m wide-awake, then my Daddy God might be wanting one-on-one time with me. And if the best time for that intimate time together is in the middle of the night, then I’ll make the popcorn and ask the Lord to bring the “living water”. When I find myself tossing and turning, just maybe God is stirring my nest to teach me something. Instead of counting sheep, and saying alphabet acronyms, the best thing to do is count on God's faithfulness, His power and provision. It's humorous to consider that God is watching me toss and turn, trying so hard to fall asleep when He has nuggets of wisdom to share with me. Just maybe, instead of forcing ourselves to sleep, maybe we should plan a "Wide Awake" Party to "party" with our Creator!

How Big is God?

"How big is God? How big and wide his vast domain.
To try and tell, these lips can only start.
He's big enough, to rule this mighty universe.
Yet small enough, to live within my heart."

Those are the words to an old song that asks that question, “How big is God?” God is GOD -- all knowing, all powerful, no beginning or ending. God sees the least little sparrow fall and He sees me when I fall. He has eyes EVERYWHERE – all the time. Psalm 121:4 says “He never slumbers or sleeps.” That scripture reminds me that I might as well get some shut-eye because there is just no point for both of us to stay awake.

Though we try to figure Him out and put Him in a box -- there's just not one big enough. I heard this story: "A man was trying to size up God and asked Him 'God, how long is a million years to you?' God replied 'A million years is like a second to me.' The man then asked 'How much is a million dollars to you?' God replied 'A million dollars is like a penny.' The man smiled and asked 'Could you spare a penny?' God smiled back and said, 'Sure, just wait a second.'

Out all of his "vast domain" and out of all His creation, we must be His favorites. Just think about it. God placed intellect, creativity and genius in us to come up with so many incredible inventions and discoveries. That shows He really did make us in His image to create, to never say “never”, to always say “It’s possible”, because the intricate working of our own minds is fashioned after our God Who made us.

We should never minimize the incredible beings that God made us to be. Psalm 8:6 says “God made man a little less than the angels and crowned us with “glory and honor”. The Psalmist also proclaimed in Psalm 8:5 that God is “mindful” of us. He keeps his eye on us, not because He is looking for mistakes or for us to fall, but because He takes delight in us. He enjoys seeing all that we can accomplish.

That sounds way too wonderful, especially when we consider our failures and limitations. We think “How can God rejoice in me? I have too many character flaws; I have too many problems; I’m nowhere near the kind of disciple I should be.” But that’s not how God sees us. He doesn’t look only at who we are right now; He sees who we can become. He sees the person He has created us to be: kind, loving, generous, humble, and faithful. And through his Holy Spirit, He has given us the ability to overcome any obstacle we may encounter.

THE GOD of the universe is our loving Father and He knows us by name. His arms are outstretched to us 24/7. I started this post with that old song and the last line sums up the greatness of our God. He's big enough to rule the mighty universe, yet small enough to live within our hearts.

Maybe it's time for you to become acquainted with YOUR indescribable, all powerful, unchangeable -- AMAZING God...for yourself. His ginormous arms are outstretched to you today.