Encompass Connection Center
  • Home
  • About ECC
  • For Couples
    • Free Relationship Assessments
    • The RINGS Experience
  • For Families
    • Free Parenting Assessment
    • Parenting for Kid's Sake
    • The REACH Experience
  • Donate
  • Get in touch
  • BLOG
PRACTICAL TIPS & INSIGHTS FOR YOUR

RELATIONSHIPS

When you're unable to sleep

5/19/2020

 
Picture
By Grant Edwards
(Grant is senior pastor of Fellowship Church in Springfield. He's given us permission to include his reflections and suggestions from scripture and personal experience. Insomnia can affect relationships by making us more irritable and insensitive with each other!)
​

Too many of us can't sleep.  It’s so frustrating -- 3 AM and wide awake.  Then 6 AM and you fall asleep with the alarm sounding at 7 AM.

Someone then remarks,  "You look like something that the cat dragged in from a night of prowling." 
​

We want to call down fire from heaven on them!
I'm writing this at 4:30 AM. What I describe below didn't work last night.  Most of the time it does but sometimes I just get up and pray -- or write!

The Bible correlates sleep with the favor of the Lord. Psalms 127 says that the Lord gives sleep to those He loves.  We know that God loves us; so something not of God interrupts our sleep. I do three things to align my sleep with God’s purposes.

Before I sleep … Proverbs 3 says that we should not lie down with fear.  Psalm 4 teaches that we should lie down in peace

When I lie down, I think three things… 1.  God, I am thankful about these three things. 2. God, I ask grace for these two regrets from the day (only two as I can get stuck here easily. Some days, I specialize in regretful things). 3.  God, I cast these 3 anxieties upon you.


When I wake up at 3 AM (it might be a different time for you)
. At night our mental and emotional safeguards are relaxed. Psalm 91 says that we should not be afraid of the terrors of the night.  Fear surfaces in the middle of the night with an intensity that daylight mutes.

When I wake up in the middle of the night. I take ten deep breaths while I pray for individuals in distress. Something about the deep breathing helps. Praying for others keeps me from getting on the ‘self-worry about everything’ spinning wheel in my mind. Once I start the spinning it takes a few hours for it to stop.
Intercession note … my best intercession is at night.  I imagine better and I'm more sensitive to spiritual warfare. With practice you will be able to discern whether it is stress or God that is getting you up.

In the morning.  
Great sleep prepares us for a great day.  After I have slept well, I wake up about 15 minutes before I need to get out of bed.  While still in bed, I seek the presence of God.

First, I say, "Jesus, I proclaim that you are my Savior and Lord!
Second, I proclaim, "Spirit, allow me to walk in the your promises of peace (Philippians 4:7); power (Philippians 4:13); and provision (Philippians 4:19) today."
Third, I state, "God in all that I do today, I will seek first the kingdom of God!"

I then get out of bed. I'm ready for a great day.  And if someone mentions that I still look terrible -- in peace, power, and provision, I ask God to open the earth to swallow them whole.

I calm down after my first cup of coffee!
​

(To receive daily email reflections from Grant, just forward him your email address at edwards@fellowshipchristian.org.)
Rev. John Quigley
5/19/2020 04:35:18 pm

Pastor Grant Edward,

Thank you for this wise biblical counsel on a peaceful night's sleep. I appreciated your Bible passages and sharing your nightly and morning routines of ending the day and beginning the day in a godly frame of mind. I love that you have a good sense of humor. I met Lavern and Ronda when I was an Interim pastor, now called a Transitional Pastor at Kirkmont Presbyterian Church in Beavercreek, OH in 2014. I am now semi-retired in Knoxville, TN.

With gratitude,
John

Pastor Kermit Rowe
5/24/2020 07:59:40 am

Brother, this may be the best Biblical yet practical treatment of insomnia I have ever come across. The humorous honesty balanced with the penetrating truth of each suggestion are truly a freeing (and restful) combination. I have saved this on my Facebook and will no doubt share it often. Thanks for sharing, and thanks for all of your years of ministry for His kingdom.


Comments are closed.

    Subscribe

    * indicates required
    Picture

    Hosts

    Lavern & Ronda Nissley are co-directors of Encompass. Married since 1978, both enjoy coffee, riding their tandem bicycle and working together to build strong relationships.

    TOPICS

    All
    5 Love Languages
    Abuse
    ACE Score
    Achievement
    Aging
    Amygdala Hijack
    Anger
    Any Relationship
    Apologizing
    Asking Great Questions
    Attention
    Bids
    Busy Calendar
    Change
    Children
    Christmas
    Coaching
    Commitment
    Communication
    Competition
    Conflict
    Confronting
    Connection
    Consequences
    Counseling
    Couples
    COVID
    Date Night
    Death
    Deposits
    Emotions
    Empathy
    Especially For Couples
    Especially For Families
    Especially For Organizations
    Exercise
    Expectations
    Falling
    Family Business
    Family Trees
    Fear
    Finances
    Forgiveness
    Fun
    Generational Trends
    Genetics
    Getting Along
    Getting Things Done
    Giving
    Grandchildren
    Gratitude
    Grief
    Grieving
    Healthy Eating
    Healthy Lifestyle
    Holidays
    Humility
    Humor
    Illness
    Infidelity
    In Laws
    In-Laws
    Insomnia
    Intimacy
    Leadership
    Learning
    Legacy
    Listening
    Long Distance
    Loss
    Love
    Love Defined
    Marriage
    Minimalizing
    Morale
    Offenses
    Office Culture
    Our Stories
    Outcome Orientation
    Parenting
    Peace
    Planning
    Polarization
    Praying Together
    Proactivity
    Problem Orientation
    Productivity
    Research
    Restoration
    Retirement
    RINGS Chat
    RINGS Experience
    Romance
    Romantic Attraction
    Satisfaction
    Schedule
    Screen Use
    Siblings
    Sleeping
    Smartphones
    Stress
    Success
    Suicide
    Surprises
    Survey
    Talking
    Teamwork
    Teens
    Timeouts
    Traits
    Transformation
    Understanding
    Valentine's Day
    Virtual Relationships
    Wedding
    Withdrawals
    Working Out

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018

Picture

FIND IT QUICKLY

Refer A CLIENT
SHOP RINGS PROGRAM
bring rings to my area

STAY CONNECTED

OFFICE HOURS

MON 9a-2p
TUE 9a-2p
WED 9a-2p
THU 9a-2p
​Other hours by appointment
call us

VISIT US

616 N. Limestone St. | Springfield, OH
Funding is provided by Clark County Job and Family Services, The Turner Foundation, Springfield Foundation, Buckeye Health, private donations and fees.
​Program content is the sole responsibility of Encompass Connection Center and does not necessarily represent the views of the funders.
Encompass Connection Center services are provided to all eligible persons on a non-discriminatory basis. Encompass Connection Center complies with all applicable laws and regulations concerning discrimination does not discriminate on the basis of the potential participant's race, gender, gender orientation, age, disability or religion.

​Registered 501(c)(3). EIN: 37-1485217
  • Home
  • About ECC
  • For Couples
    • Free Relationship Assessments
    • The RINGS Experience
  • For Families
    • Free Parenting Assessment
    • Parenting for Kid's Sake
    • The REACH Experience
  • Donate
  • Get in touch
  • BLOG