Do you struggle to sleep during difficulties, trials, and troubled times? Laying down to rest when life is upside down is challenging. Thoughts of fear and worry swirl around like mini-tornadoes sabotaging a good night’s sleep. No one understood the battle to let go of the day’s events in exchange for peaceful sleep more than David. On the run for his life from his rebellious son, Absalom, and an army who wanted to kill him, David wrote, “I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety, for the Lord was watching over me.” (Psalm 3:5)

How could David sleep during times of trouble? The answer is found in the previous verse, “I cried out to the Lord, and He heard me from His holy mountain.” (Psalm 3:4) To cry out means to shout, make a loud noise, or bellow in pain. David wasn’t whispering or thinking in his head…he was verbally pouring out his deepest fears and worries to God. And as he emptied his heart before the LORD, he confidently believed his prayers were heard. Knowing God was listening and watching over him gave David the assurance he needed to sleep.

If you find yourself awake in the middle of the night with mini-tornadoes spinning around about hard and troublesome circumstances, like David, cry out to God. Speak your prayers audibly. Verbalize your fears and worries. Let God hear your voice, and when you are all done, let the assurance that God listened to your prayers flood your mind and heart. Then, close your eyes and rest, for God is watching over you.