God Works in Our Sleep

I'm not an expert on the benefits of sleep nor the "deep" sleep patterns creating renewed cell repair at the surface level, releasing toxins from our brain, and how "deep sleep" deposits what you have learned in long-term memory.

I don't understand how that all works.  But let me share a few things I know as a believer concerning sleep and rest.

When I sleep, neither my mind nor spirit sleeps or is "turned off."   So, a Christian can go to sleep filled with the Holy Spirit and with his mind meditating on the Word of God, and those two dynamic elements can continue to work together through your sleep.

I neither understand visions nor dreams, but I know they are real and possible.  God can speak to His children giving them these "night visitations" as He wills.  It happened to Joseph (Genesis 40:5), Isaac (Genesis 26:24), twice to Daniel (2:19, 7:2), and three times to Paul (Acts 16:9; 18:9; 23:11).  All of this in light of the promise of Pentecost "Your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams" (Acts 2: 17).

The point here is not to give you how visions and dreams occur, but rather to declare both the brain and the spirit are fully alert during the night making them totally available for a God "who neither sleeps nor slumbers" to work in His people.

God can only work with what we deposited through the request to be filled with His Spirit and the Scriptures we have read and studied.  But when we are faithful, God will work even when we rest. That is the point.

After we wake, we should give our "first" and best to the Lord; but more importantly, approach Him from a position of rest.  Dr. Jack Taylor use to say, "God speaks best to me in the early morning when my defenses are down." 

I'm not a legalist about only reading, praying and approaching God in the morning.  Later in the day may be a better time for detailed and in-depth study, but at least in the morning give God an opportunity to speak through His Word and Spirit to your life.  You are most "at rest" in those early hours.

God is our Father who has left us an inheritance at the death of His Son.  This inheritance is not given through warfare, but rest.  When a will is read and inheritance received, the recipient sits quietly in a resting posture to hear it and receive it.  Jesus lived His entire life in a "resting" position.  (That means spiritually, not physically because He even got tired and weary in body). 

I believe that is why the Scriptures (Mark 1:35) record Jesus rising early to be along with God. As children of God, we receive best when we are not fighting, debating, or disobeying - but simply receiving by faith.  And I do remind you "while it was still dark" (John 20:1) the women discovered the empty tomb.

So I wish for you spiritual dreams and sweet moments of rest receiving from our Father's good and blissful hand.  Next week, I will conclude this series on "Rest" and how this is what the Gospel is all about.